Away from Home
by MintyAlfalfa
Summary: A country girl meets her yakuza relatives in Ikebukuro.  She is given the task of assassinating an informant who has been aiding rival families: Izaya Orihara. But can she do it? Or will someone get in her way? Izaya/OC, novel characters mentioned.
1. Chapter 1

~AWAY FROM HOME~

MintyAlfalfa

So the moonlight shone, and the sweaty middle-aged woman panted over my waking body, urging me to wake up faster. I had fallen asleep on the shrine's decadent red torii gate. Somehow it felt soft to me. I had been discouraged, and by discouraged, I meant looked at disdainfully, to sleep on the bottom of the gate. I had even caught a cold from it once. But it just felt so soft. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the head priestess's face, eerily lit by the moonlight. The shadowy, dim features startled me at first, but when I saw her squinting through half-inch thick spectacles, I knew it was her.

The moon was full. I saw a look of urgency on the childish woman's face. I almost laughed at her expression. It was always hard to take her seriously.

"Hinoko-chan, are you awake?" she inquired. She sounded far more serious than she had ever sounded.

"Yeah, what is it?"

Suddenly, a huge smile appeared on her face. "Well..."

"Yes...?" I grew impatient with her facial acrobatics.

"I'm leaving the shrine!" She finally answered.

"So... you're quitting?"

"Yes," she said simply.

"Why did you have to wake me up? Couldn't you have told me in the morning?"

"I... didn't want you to get sick. And it's exciting, isn't it?" She looked gleefully mischevious now.

"Why are you leaving anyway?" What were her reasons?

"I... well, I met someone. We're eloping. You're the only person I told. It's supposed to be a secret. I just wanted you and the other mikos to know," she explained. "I left a note in the shrine for everyone else. I'm leaving right now. I wanted to say goodbye to you."

"I see." It was sudden, but on the torii I was relaxed. I glanced at the dirt path, which led from the shrine to my sleepy home village, not half a mile away. I could see my yard.

So soft...

PART TWO: The History of Kanmai Village

Kanmai was founded by a - I'm not going to lie to you - group of cultists. That's why it isn't on any maps. It was founded by a bunch of freaks - all of our grandparents - who were looking for a purer life away from the city, or just somewhere less likely to be bombed.

The village was named after Katsuya Kanmai, the leader of the cult. He's still alive, in the city, in a nursing home somewhere, but he stopped speaking years ago, and it's likely that his memories are lost and not even he remembers what the cult was about.

The second generation of the cultists banned practice of the religion and kept it taboo. They found an old, decrepit Shinto shrine and rebuilt and repainted it. The third generation spread rumors about it, but all were too silly to be true and it's likely that the cult will forever be shrouded in myth.

The head priestess, Katsura Kanmai, was partially named after the founder of the village. Her father was the only second-generation inhabitant of Kanmai to follow the old cult. The legend is that he was shot by a firing squad (that included my parents and uncle) at dawn after a secret town meeting.

Another legend is that Katsura's father Ohnashi was giving the Hannanashi yakuza family trouble, so they killed him in front of his father, and then partially blinded Katsura. That last part is somewhat more far-fetched.

PART THREE

The raven-haired man typed away on his computer. He loved to "play" with his "friends", "Taro Tanaka" and "Setton".

"Namie-chan~" He called for his begrudging assisstant.

"What is it?"

"Can you pour me some tea?"

"Whatever," she breathed, and hurried off to make some.

"Thank you, dear~" He continued to chat with the two.

Suddenly, something caught his eye from the window of the room.

Way down below, there was a girl dressed as a miko pulling along a rolling suitcase.

"Hmmm... Not a sight you see every day," he wondered aloud.

"What?" Namie asked. She set down the tea, freshly poured from the pot.

"Oh, nothing. Say, Namie-chan, ever thought of being a shrine maiden?"

Namie grimaced. "And just _why_ do you ask?"

"No reason. I think they're cute."

"Uh, sure." She knew it was something sinister.

"Namie-chan, this tea is no good!"

Namie grumbled and took it back. "Do you want me to make another one?"

"No, just pour it out until you get to the really stong tea."

"Fine." Namie poured the weak tea into the sink. She poured the last bit into the cup.

"There." Here she handed it to Izaya.

"Delicious."

PART FOUR

I decided to move away from Kanmai. I wasn't going to make my life out here. There weren't any guys I liked, and the jobs I could choose from were boring. I decided to move to the city. When I told my parents, they didn't look surprised. Figures.

"I think it's a good idea for you to make a living in the city rather than here. You should get familiarized with present-day technology, Hinoko," my father told me.

"I think it's a good idea as well. You're an adult now. It's time to piece your life together," my mother agreed.

"Oh, and we have some relatives in Ikebukuro. We haven't spoken to them in a while, but I think they could help you out." My parents' parting gift was a knife, engraved with the word "Han" and other characters I couldn't make out, as they were faded away. Strange.

I was out of town rather quickly. We bought a new car a from a dealership a few miles away. From there, I drove to the Shibuya district of Tokyo.

There, my car broke down. Piece of crap. I felt a cold coming on then. Funny. That was the only time I sneezed all day.

I opted for the subway.

Miraculously, I managed to get all the way to Ikebukuro.

"The city is so confusing," I thought aloud. Where were all these places? How was I going to get to my relatives' address?

I asked for directions. The arrogant city folks ignored me and walked away more quickly than they had approached. Was it my accent or something?

"Ugh, the city sucks! Maybe I should've just stayed home."

Some scary-looking people followed me until I turned a corner. I glanced at them. One was large and buff-looking, another rather thin and pasty, and the third mid-sized and bespectacled. The large one spoke.

"I saw you asking about the address of the Hannanashi family?" His voice was intimidating.

"Uh... Hannanashi?" That name was familiar. Oh God.

"Yes. Are you our sister from the country?" he asked, more benevolently.

"I... I suppose so."

"You suppose? We know you're family - we recognized you from your miko outfit and your silly accent. But why do you doubt this?" the thin one asked. S-Silly accent? What the hell?

"You said Hannanashi. My name is Hanyu. I recognize that other name, but-"

"Your family must have hidden the name from you. We are the Hannanashi family. Well, this one is technically from the Shoumura family, but..." As he said this, he pointed towards the one with glasses.

"You're Hinoko-chan! Do you remember me? I'm Shoumura Keiichi!" The young man smiled and extended his hand. I shook it, but I didn't really recognize him.

"I-I'm sorry. I have no memory of you." I felt somewhat ashamed.

"Well, that's okay. You were a little younger than me. Besides, it's much better to remember this handome face rather than a dorky kid's!"

"Miss Hinoko, if you would come with us-" The thin one was interrupted.

"Wait, you forgot the knife!"

I realized what he was talking about and brought the knife out of the bag. I handed it to the large one and he accepted it with a bow. I bowed slightly, too, for effect.

"Hmm. The 'nanashi' letters are obscured. Your parents must've really wanted to hide this from you. At least, until you came of age."

"But... I chose to come here myself. It was my own decision," I argued.

"That may be, but I know they would've sent you here someday anyway. I guess it really is fate."

"I suppose so..." I followed them to their hangout.


	2. Chapter 2

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 2

MintyAlfalfa

**I think this is going to be really long, so please bear with the slow pacing. I was expecting to get this first part out in the first chapter, but I couldn't.**

Inside the room were some cold-looking people. When they recognized me, though, they smiled.

"Miss Hinoko, this is the family. We realize you don't recognize them, and they recognize you, and that's scary, but please do not be alarmed," said Keiichi. He was calling me Hinoko-chan before, and now he changed to Miss Hinoko? City people are just crazy.

"Hello, Miss Hinoko." Everyone greeted me.

"Hello," I responded.

"Miss Hinoko, you'll always have some connection to us, but you're not _quite_part of us yet. Let me lay it straight: you need to do something for the family to be initiated. Then you'll be officially one of us. I don't want you to agree to anything yet, so I'll tell you your task now. We want you to kill a guy who's been giving us trouble. He's been helping out a lot of our rival families, but he isn't in any family. His name is Izaya Orihara. He's an information broker

. Do you wanto do it?"

"I..." I pondered this for a moment. This was happening so fast. Join the yakuza? Kill someone I don't even know? I don't want a life of crime.

But... perhaps this is what my parents wanted for me all along. They knew I'd end up with the family. What other reason would they have to push me along to the city?

I also realized that this was _exactly_ what I wanted. Not crime, but excitement. I love thrills. I wanted more than a dull country life. That was exactly why I left for the city anyway. This wasn't exactly how I pictured it, but it's all I wanted all along.

And this Orihara guy seems dangerous. I wouldn't want a guy like him wandering around the streets.

"I'll do it," I finally answered. It may not have been the right choice, but it sure was a fun one.

"Perfect. I'll tell you the plan. It's not going to be easy, but with your anonymity, I think we can do it. You're perfect for the job."

I beamed. Dear, the boy with the glasses was so cute.

Part Two

The girl sitting in the chair was named Ritsu Miyama. She wasn't Hinoko Hanyu anymore. This was her new life; her new personality. But she would switch back and talk to her associates sometimes, to give them updates on her task.

A young man strolled easily down the gloomy hospital's halls. He slowed when he spotted a girl wearing a shrine maiden's outfit. He stared at her. She noticed, and stared at him back. "It's him," she thought.

"Isn't that...?" the young, raven-haired man whispered to himself.

He put on a face as attractively smug as he could. (It was, indeed, quite impressive, and the miko blushed for a moment.) "Hello, what is your name, Miss Shrine Maiden?"

"R-Ritsu Miyama," she pretended to stammer. He seemed to have bought it. Of course, she wasn't faking her luminescent blush. He _was_ quite good-looking. Bastard.

"Miss Ritsu, I couldn't help but notice that worried look on your face. Do you have a relative that's a patient here?" He looked at her with an expression that would come off as condescending to any sane girl. But those were rather hard to find nowadays. She only looked away and pretended to choke up.

"I have an aunt... She's taken care of me ever since my parents went missing..." She had memorized this story to a tee.

"Is she- Is she very sick, dear?" he asked, visibly on the verge of laughter. What kind of asshole...?

"She is... She's got heart failure. We never had the best relationship... She was always yelling at me. But, now that she's... going..." She trailed off and started to sob.

"How sad." The young man sat down next to her and put his arm around her. Sicko.

"What's your name?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Izaya Orihara," he answered simply. Bingo!

"Th-Thank you." Yeah, thanks for taking advantage of a girl on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Really, thank you.

"Do you want me to take you home?" he asked devilishly.

"W-Well, I... I don't... I don't have a home. My aunt signed everything over to her daughter, my cousin, who won't even acknowledge my existence... I'm not underage anymore, I have nowhere to turn to!" Think sad thoughts, Hinoko. Sad! She successfully burst into tears and flung her arms onto Izaya.

"There, there. If you really need to, you could stay with me. I don't mean to sound weird, but you can use my office. My assisstant won't be using her bed tonight," he consoled. "I hope you catch a cold, Namie," he thought to himself.

"D-Do you really mean it? I don't want you to reach out for some random girl... out of all the injured souls out there, me? Really, do you-"

"It was your miko outfit. And that cute country accent."

I was rather shocked at this bit. "Does that mean you really want me to...?"

"Of course! You can stay at my place and figure things out. I'll be just fine. I have enough food for you, too."

Mission phase one successful! I decided to report back in the morning. "Wait... you're not going to kill me in my sleep or something, right?"

"Hahahaha! No, you'll be alright," he replied. You didn't sound very sincere.

Sicko.

End Chapter 2

Enjoy/No Enjoy? Please review... pretty please with moe-moe eyes on top? Even with my new-and-improved description? Pleeease?

See ya later!


	3. Chapter 3

~AWAY FROM HOME~

MintyAlfalfa

Chapter 3

**Damn, people! Still no reviews (at the time of this writing)? You make me so sad... Please review this one!**

The next morning, Ritsu woke up in an unfamiliar room. She had fallen asleep in the car on the way there, so she must have been carried there. Funny, it didn't look like Izaya looked that strong. She wondered where he was.

"So, you're awake? You're sure up early. He did tell me you were a country girl," said a tall woman who seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Yes, I do tend to wake up early. Who are you, miss?" she asked as politely as she could. It seemed strange, though, that a country girl could be expected to wake up earlier.

"Hmm, yes. I'm Namie Yagiri, Izaya's... assisstant." She said the words harshly. I would'nt have liked to be his assisstant, either. "Do you want some tea?" she asked, this time very politely in response.

"Yes, that would be lovely."

"Very good. There's some bread on the table over there." She pointed to an office desk.

She sat down and took a tiny bite of her bread. The computer was on for some reason. It wasn't locked. She looked at the pictures. ''Chat room." There were a bunch of bubbles with text inside. It seemed to be a conversation between several people. But it was... backwards? At the top it said "Chat room is currently empty." What did that mean? Does that... mark the end? What room were they talking about? It was all very confusing to the technology-illiterate girl.

She noticed Namie staring at her like she was doing something very wrong. She glanced at the computer again. Was that private? "Umm... I'm sorry, I don't know anything about computers. I was curious. I'll try to be more careful,'' she apologized.

Namie sighed. "That's okay. I'm not supposed to look at it either, really."

"So, it's Izaya's private computer?" she asked.

"Yes, that's it."

She looked down at a blank notepad. She quietly finished the rest of the bread. It was very sweet and had a strawberry filling.

Izaya came into the silent room. "Wow, it's so quiet in here! Namie-chan, you're usually so talkative!"

Namie groaned. "Miss Namie, where should I throw this away?" Ritsu asked.

"Here, I'll take it. Izaya walked across the room and took the wrapper from the bread from her hands. For a brief moment. His hands touched hers - very softly, but no doubt intentionally. Ritsu was still for a moment, lost in thought, but she quickly returned to reality.

"Ritsu-chan, do you want to go out? I'm going to Ikebukuro today. They have great Russian Sushi there."

"Oh, the don't have a lot of sushi where I live! I'd love to try a city delicacy like that!" Ritsu beamed.

"Really? I thought they had sushi in the country. Besides, it's not really a delicacy. It's quite casual." Izaya looked genuinely puzzled. Wasn't he an informant? Shouldn't he know those kinds of things?

"Well, I guess they have it in some places. I lived in a really remote area... before I went to live with my aunt. But then, she never really took me out. I always ate at home." Nice save.

"How sad! Well, I'll take you out today." he sounded very enthusiastic about it.

"Goodbye, Namie-chan!" Izaya said as he grabbed my hand and ran out. Namie mumbled something disdainful and we were off.

PART TWO

Ritsu and Izaya took a subway to Ikebukuro. For a while, Ritsu just stared at the bleak tunnels, minding not to stare at other passengers' faces.

She looked at Izaya. His eyes were closed, and he was leaning on her, arms around her waist.

She had barely noticed. She carefully took his arms off of her, but he wouldn't stop leaning on her side.

"Izaya-kun, you're heavy!" She tried to wake him up, to no avail. Riiiiiight. He was "sleeping".

"Izaya-kun, wake up! We're almost there!" she urged.

"No we're not, Ritsu-chan," he mumbled. "Let me sleep a little longer. You're my pillow~"

Ritsu blushed. Other passengers began to stare. Didn't they know it was rude?

"Here's our stop!" Ritsu exclaimed. "Hurry, get up!"

Izaya got up faster than she could and helped her up. "Thank you," she said shyly.

"Come on, Ritsu-chan. It's time to go see Ikebukuro," he said, as his smooth, non-sleepy voice returned.

"Okay."

The two climbed a flight of stairs before heading into the bright outside world. Even in the noonday sun, though, it just wasn't as clear as the country. Something smelled, as well.

Izaya laughed as she pinched her nose. "Don't worry, you'll get used to the city air," Izaya said. "Just breathe easy."

She let go of her nose. It was silly-looking anyway.

PART THREE

Suddenly, a low, growling voice crescendoed into the voice of Death itself. It yelled, "IIIIIZAAAAAAYYAAAAAA!" Really, it was so dramatic and horrifying that everyone in the vicinity stopped in their tracks and literally stopped breathing.

A vending machine came flying through the air. Izaya pushed Ritsu out of the way and ran off. Or did he push her in the way and out of his? She would probably never know for sure. "Ritsu-chan, you can meet with me in Ikebukuro park!" he said rapidly as he sped away and disappeared from sight. A tough-looking blond man came running after him. He looked much taller and much stronger than Izaya could handle.

She decided to use this time and her closeness to the hideout to report her progress to the family.

PART FOUR

Running to the hideout as quickly as I could - as I didn't want to waste any time - I dropped a few coins. I stopped to pick them up, but Keiichi had already picked them up for me.

"Hinoko-chan! Were you heading to the office?" he asked as he handed my coins back to me.

"Yeah," I said. "I want to report how far along I've gotten."

"Have you met Orihara Izaya yet?" he asked.

"Yes, I actually spent the night in his apartment," I explained.

"O-Oh, you have? Well, that's... uh... great, but-"

"I didn't spend the night _with him_ or anything!" Blushing, I started a slower pace toward the hideout.

"Oh! I'm so relieved..." he mumbled.

"What?" I pretended not to have heard him.

"N-Nothing," he stammered. Keiichi started blushing, as well. He pushed up his glasses and flared his nostrils (I didn't know how you could do that in the city air).

We silently made it to the hideout. When we got there, everyone was in the same place, as if they hadn't moved for a day and a half. We greeted each other.

"Everyone, Miss Hinoko has succeeded in locating and contacting Orihara Izaya," he announced. "Miss Hinoko, have you made any mistakes while conversing with him? Do you have any cracks in your identity?"

"No, I doubt it. He seemed to be more concerned with the fact that I was a shrine maiden. He seems like kind of a pervert, to be honest." I said to everyone.

"Thank you for telling us, Miss Hinoko," said the man who appeared to be the leader. "You may continue on with your mission."

"Thank you, I will," I said excitedly. If it meant I could be a part of the family...

PART FIVE

When I left, no one was outside. It seemed everyone was taking cover from the duo that caused property damage: Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima. But, of course, no one could mess with them, so they didn't pay a single yen.

The blond one had his hands in his pockets and seemed to be quite calm now. He still had an angry expression on his face, but he had a cigarette in his mouth and was walking quite slowly and steadily. He looked at me and scowled, seeming to want me to go away. When I stayed there unfazed, he changed to expression to one of surprise.

"You're not... scared of me?" he asked, with a much more calm and harmless-sounding voice.

"Wh-Why? Should I be scared of you?" I asked.

"Don't you know me?"

"No, I've never met you before in my life," I responded. What an oddball.

"But, don't you know who I am?" he inquired, dumbfounded.

"No... Should I know you? I'm new in town."

"I'm Shizuo Heiwajima... The Strongest Man In Ikebukuro!" he said with a playfully arrogant voice.

"Wah! I'm so scared!" I played along, smiling.

"I'm... I'm Ritsu Miyama," I lied.

"Really? Because I just saw you walking out out of the Hannanashi hideout without any injuries. And I think that means your name isn't really Ritsu Miyama..." He was quite smart. He smiled at me knowingly.

"I'm sorry. Don't tell anyone, but my name is Hinoko Hany...Hannanashi. Hanyu is the name my parents gave me... I'm sorry. Just don't call me anything but Ritsu when you see people around, okay?"

"You're pretty gullible. You just spilled your guts and all I did was doubt you. You didn't even defend your identity!" he smiled boastfully again.

Astonished, I blushed. "W-Well, it's so hard to pretend to be Ritsu around Izaya-kun anyway that I..."

"Izaya-kun? _Izaya-kun?_ IZAYA-KUN?" He started to get rather angry again.

"Did I say something wrong? P-Please don't get mad!"

He took the cigarette out of his mouth, bent it in two, threw it to the ground, and smashed it with his foot. "Never... Mention... ORIHARA IZAYA!"

I ran off. I had a feeling I didn't want to stay her much longer. I headed to South Ikebukuro Park.

**Whew! A longer chapter to make up for that other one! Hope you enjoyed it! Please revieeeewwww~!**


	4. Chapter 4

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 4

MintyAlfalfa

Silently analyzing the lively horizon of South Ikebukuro Park, Ritsu could hardly find Izaya's shadowlike figure creeping among the crowd. As soon as she spotted him, she called his name, rather girlishly - as if he were her lost puppy. He approached her casually, with the same demeaning smile he wore on his face yesterday. He walked with a certain air of pride, like he knew far more than those around him. Ritsu couldn't wait to wipe that sick smile off of his pretty, pretty face.

"Ritsu-chan, there you are! I was getting kind of worried about you. I thought you might have gotten... lost." His smirk curved into a cheshie-cat-like grin. It was hard to feign ignorance of his mocking. "It was scary to think you were all alone in this place you don't know... You really rely on me, don't you, _Ritsu-chan._" He paused for a moment, to see how she would react. Seeing little more than a confused frown, he changed the subject.

"Say, why don't we have that Russia Sushi now?"

"Okay... But Izaya-kun, what happened over there? It was scary. I was the one worried about you. You looked so calm, but that guy looked really angry and dangerous... Why was he after you anyway?"

"Oh, Ritsu-chan, you don't have to worry about _me_! Well, you might have to worry about him. Shizu-chan is a little unstable. He really hates people. But me... I love humanity! Really, they're so fascinating... well, most of the time. But you don't need to care about that, Ritsu-chan. Just stay away from Heiwajima Shizuo, and you'll be fine. Sweet Ritsu-chan." What a lie.

Sweet, gullible Ritsu-chan? It was quite obvious how he thought of Ritsu. Just another injured lamb waiting to be slaughtered, dumbly following the path to the butcher house. He thought she was one of many, that she was in love with him, but not really - just in love with the thought of him - and that she knew nothing but hopelessness. He could have guesses her past: an outcast in school, neglectful but well-meaning parents, an imperfect life as a celibate shrine maiden, and her life shattered when her faraway parents finally kicked the bucket, leaving her with an uncaring guardian and a bleak future.

She was now a fragile piece of porcelain that could be broken by pushing your thumb down on it. That was what Izaya believed. It wasn't what was true, though. It wasn't Ritsu.

Actually, it was Ritsu. But it wasn't Hinoko. Everything was on purpose. The informant had fallen right into the Hannanashi family's trap. Perhaps even the trickiest characters fall prey to repetition. He had seen a million of her. He classified her as one of the lambs at the first words she spoke to him. They might as well have been the first words she had spoken in her life.

"R-Ritsu Miyama." She spoke the words stammering and blushing, choked between false sobs. He didn't suspect a thing.

But maybe he did suspect something. Maybe he knew everything. Maybe he was wondering how long she'd keep up her act. This was what gave her nightmares - discovering that she was wrong all along. She imagined how he would react. Would his smile turn into an even bigger smile? Would he stare at her with a look of pity? Would he forgive her, because he had fallen in love with her? What kind of person was he? Ritsu did not know the answer. She knew he wasn't a _good_ person, but was he rotten to the core? Or did he have a hidden heart of gold?

"Ritsu-chan, are you okay? Do you not want to go have sushi?" Izaya looked into her eyes, waiting for a response.

She blushed. "Ah, of course not! We should go have sushi. I am kind of hungry. You must be, too from all that running around."

He put his arm around her waist. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, just like he had done to her on the subway earlier.

"Ritsu-chan, you're heavy!"

She smiled.

PART TWO

The couple walked into the Russian Sushi restaurant. They found several students there.

"I guess this is something of a local teenage hangout," Ritsu observed.

"Yeah, you're probably right. The food here is good, though... Ah, privyet, Simon!"

"Privyet, Mister Izaya! How are you today? This new girlfriend, maybe?" A large black man with a Russian accent greeted the comparatively tiny couple. Ritsu blushed at the suggestion that they were together.

"Yeah, I'm one lucky guy! Ritsu-chan is the cutest thing!" Izaya told Simon Brezhnev with a huge grin. Ritsu blushed even more.

"W-What? We're dating? I-I thought...!"

"Yep, she slept over at my house last night!"

"That wasn't-!"

"Well, happy new couple should sit down here! Don't you hurt her, Mister Izaya! And don't order the octopus today!" Several customers who ordered octopus subsequently spit out their seafood.

"Haha, just kidding! We use fresh, quality fish at Russia Sushi!" Simon saved himself.

Among the customers, Ritsu noticed someone she recognized. It was Keiichi's sister. He had told her she was still in high school... but she was married to a member of the Hannanashi family. It was how the Shoumura were able to cement their blood-brother status.

He told her that Akane attended Raira Academy. She was hesitant to call out to her. However, she couldn't resist. Akane already knew about the plan and recognized her, too.

"Ne, Akane-chan!" The dark-haired girl looked up and saw Ritsu. She smiled distantly. "Ah, hello, Ritsu-senpai!" She spoke very politely - Keiichi had told Ritsu that she had to learn it at a young age, to prepare for diplomatic marriage. In reality, there was no love lost between the husband and wife. He hated her fragility, and she hated his refusal to accept her giving her life away to him. She would never be a regular high-school girl. She had to beg and plead to go to high school at all - not that the family had any trouble getting her in.

Akane got up and gracefully walked toward the couple. "Izaya-kun, this is Shimura Akane."

"How do you do, Miss Shimura? I'm Orihara Izaya." The informant flashed a crooked grin and bowed to her slightly.

"Hello, I'm Shimura Akane. You may call me Akane-chan. I see you and Ritsu-senpai are on a date?" she asked in a ladylike tone.

"Well, I'll see you around, Akane-chan," Ritsu said.

"Ah, goodbye, senpai. I daren't interrupt your date," Miss Shimura said, bowing deeply.

"Goodbye, Akane-chan!" Izaya said. She waved to us as she walked away. She didn't have many casual friends.

"She's nice. Was she a classmate of yours? I saw her wearing a Raira Academy uniform, though." Izaya was asking me questions again. Did this mean he had caught onn? Ritsu had to stay smooth, though.

"She used to go to school with me in the country, but she transferred here. I had forgotten all about it until now. I guess I do have a friend in Ikebukuro." Ritsu kissed Izaya on the cheek. He hadn't expected it at all.

"Boyfriend," she whispered. "Hahaha, you can be so sweet, Izaya-kun!" She spoke in a joking tone, but he curled his arm tighter around her waist.

"Is that how you want to play it, Ritsu-chan?" he inquired in a much deeper, more serious voice. He still kept the devilish expression on his face - it scared her a little bit. "Izaya-kun, I was kidding. You shouldn't-"

He kissed her on the lips this time. Customers began to stare at them. "Izaya-kun..." Ritsu pretended to be dazed. He wasn't a great kisser. Maybe he just didn't work well with the surprise element. She looked down to her hands, which rested in her lap, now clenched tightly.

"Mister Izaya is player, huh? Very suspicious." Simon laughed out loud, breaking the tension.

She didn't know what to think. Was he on to her?

**Yay! An speedy new chapter! Thank you for the very kind review, authoranonymousdouble7! It motivated me to write this chapter. But, I still want your reviews. Please...?**


	5. Chapter 5

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 5

MintyAlfalfa

**Whee! I hope you liked the last chapter... was it a little confusing? Maybe it's just my imagination.**

Every day from that point on, Ritsu visited the hideout at 6:30... while Izaya was out doing something recognizably suspicious. She informed them of every detail of Izaya's relationship with her. They knew nothing, however, about her relationship with Shizuo.

* * *

><p>EARLIER...<p>

"Hello, I'm Ritsu Miyama. I'd like to sign up for a loan."

Ritsu looked around the small, seedy-looking office. It was decorated with cheap discount posters and obviously faked certificates signed with poor handwriting. She coughed. The room smelled of envelope paste, blood, and cigarettes. A visibly bored worker in the cheesiest suit possible stared at her blankly for a few seconds. Then, he pricked up.

"Oh, I remember-! Yes, uh... The manager will be with you in a moment. " The unshaven young man smiled proudly, then drifted off once more into a similar blank stare.

"You can sit down if you want," the dude slurred without changing his expression.

"Uh... I'll pass," Ritsu responded graciously, eyeing the sticky, torn-apart couch.

"Suit yourself. I think we traded up from the previous office." Suddenly, a slick-seeming guy with glasses opened the door, tucking his keys into a side pocket. Apparently, it was locked behind her...?

"Hey," he said casually.

"Hey," she uneasily returned, desperately hoping for another intelligent life form.

The young attendant awoke from his slumber. "Yo, she's askin' for a loan, Tom. Her name's, uh... What was your name again?" he asked stupidly, scratching his head.

"Ritsu Miyama," she lied the third time in a row.

"Okay, Miss Miyama, I'll be a moment," said Tom.

Puzzled, Ritsu studied the uncharismatic look on the young man's face. He stared back at her, but with less inquisition and more annoyance. His expression melted into a frown, then a smirk. "Y'know, your accent is a total turn-off," he suddenly remarked.

Offended, Ritsu started to leave the room in disgust. Just as she took her first step toward the door, though, Tom returned, dragging a tall man with dyed blond hair. "I told you, I'm not beating up a girl - Hannanashi?"

"Hi, Shizuo-san..." I bowed and smiled at him. "I came to see you... not for a loan, actually. Sorry about that, Mr. Tom." He scanned me, surprised at how I looked without my shrine maiden outfit on.

"Hannanashi, I'm flattered... but, uh... How did you find me?" he asked, startled at seeing a familiar face. Usually, every person he met disappeared into the crowd after saying hello once. Why did she come back? Was it to mention Izaya and get him all pissed off? Was she some kind of stalker? But what kind of stalker would go after_ him_? Didn't she know all the danger that came with the package? But, then, she didn't seem to be very afraid of him when they spoke to each other the first time. She was from the country. It seemed likely that she would take all the street rumors with a grain of salt. So, perhaps she wanted to see him again for himself.

"I pressed Iz... I heard it on the street," I answered simply.

This wasn't making any sense to him at all. "Uh..." he had even less to say than the young man drooling behind his cardboard desk. Nothing made sense. Everything was surreal.

"Hannanashi-san." He said my newfound name ominously as though it were a foreign word for the apocalypse. It was rather scary, with his deep, commanding default voice. It was time to break the tension.

"...Can I call you Shizu-chan?" I asked.

"What?" Shizu-chan was bewildered.

" Shizu-chan. Is it okay if I call you that?"

Silence.

Shizuo blushed. "S-Sure." He looked away, to a broken ceiling fan. "Man, this new office sure is nice."

I hugged him. Even more surprised, he pulled me off and gave me a stern look. I giggled the same way I giggled at the head priestess's "serious" face. I began to fear for my life. If I couldn't control my laughter, I was absolutely done for. Doesn't want to hit a girl? Ha. Ha ha.

Instead of murdering me, he took me by the arm. "Tom?"

"Go on out. It's almost 'closing time' anyways." Mr. Tom waved goodbye.

"What is 'closing time'?" I asked Shizuo as he shut the door behind us.

"When my _real_ shift begins," he answered, raising another question. Real shift? What about a 'real shift'? I sure as hell didn't want to know about his 'real shift'.

"Shizu-chan, where are we going?"

"You'll see. Actually, I'd prefer it if you didn't call me that. It was cute at first, but..."

"Too late. You already agreed to it." I grinned playfully. He started to blush again, this time with a look of fury painted on his face. I giggled again. Why would anyone find him scary?

He sighed and continued to walk arm-in-arm with me. The sun was beginning to set.

"It's been a week since I've arrived in Tokyo. I've seen so many people already, but I'm sure I'll meet lots more..."

"I'm sure you will... Hinoko-chan." This time he said my name lovingly and softly, rather than with a look of genuine contempt. Perhaps he had only ever associated my surname with yakuza.

"I like it when you call me that." I paused. "Even if we've only known each other a few days. I don't really know you... But you don't seem that scary."

They continued to walk into the setting sun.

...

PART TWO - DAY AFTER PREVIOUS PART

...

I happily trotted to the apartment/hideout. I really didn't know how many rooms belonged to us. You'd think there would be more than one.

When I entered the room, the family wasn't in its usual formation.

"Miss Hinoko!" Keiichi exclaimed. "You're here! Umm... we've been having a meeting, so if you could step out for a while..."

"That's fine, Keiichi." said Mr. Hannanashi. He was the only one we called Mr. Hannanashi, on account that he was the leader. He was also, apparently, my uncle. "Miss Hinoko, we've come to a conclusion in our meeting. Actually, it has to do with you. Atsuta, would you continue?"

"Certainly, Mr. Hannanashi." A previously unseen member appeared from within the group. "Miss Hinoko, we're afraid the mission we sent you on at first is a suicide mission. Others more experienced than you have tried and failed at this task."

"Miserably," added one member.

"Yes. And, seeing as you've been so dedicated and you've shown so much potential value to the family as an agent, we've decided to give you another task so you can be a real part of the family," he concluded, disappearing as soon as he had risen from the mass.

"Another task... So, this was only to test my loyalty?" I asked, shocked by this sudden turn of events.

"Yes, Miss Hinoko." Mr. Hannanashi resumed his place. "And you've passed." He paused for dramatic effect. It came out rather bizarre, really. "So, as for your mission, we want you to bring us another person who's been really annoying to the family. Except he's more like a harmless punk than a proverbial chess-master. Bring him to us alive."

"So... wait. Does this mean I no longer have to deal with Izaya Orihara?" I inquired, part of me - most of me, in fact - wanting the answer to be no. I really... enjoyed... my time with him.

"Actually, you've made some startling progress. Most people don't get as far as you have in such a short time. It would be, how shall I say this...awkward, if you were to break ties with him now. So, continue on your mission, but mind the other one now. I suggest getting it done as soon as you can."

"Alright," I said, trying to contain my joy. How insane had he made me?

I really felt like someone else. Someone new. I no longer felt like Hinoko Hanyu. I felt like part of the family - not only that, but like I was living on the egde. It seemed that at any given moment, I could just kill someone and get away with it, but get caught after I felt like I had won. I used to hate that feeling. Now, I embraced it. I wasn't in control anymore. Whatever was to happen with me and Izaya would not be another boring decision. It would be God's choice, whether I am to live or die. And if it turned out that I had to go to Hell for all these horrible thoughts that I've been having, all I would care about was the danger. My name: Hinoko Hannanashi.

"You can smile if you want to, Hinoko-chan," Keiichi whispered in my ear.

"Sure, but now I can only smile at you," I whispered back. He flushed, unable to handle what he had started.

Everything really was different. You could never have caught me flirting, with anyone, back at home. Who was making me reckless? Was it the family? Izaya? Maybe Shizuo? All I could think of was what was going to happen next.

...

PART THREE

...

"Really, Shizu-chan, where are you taking me? We've been out for so long!" I complained between giddy laughter. The sun slowly made its way down below the horizon. It was almost there, now.

"I told you, you'll see in a second!" He laughed, too.

After clearing a large part of the town, we made it to a very busy square. There were several crowds for several things, the largest surrounding what appeared to be a movie set.

I stood on my tiptoes to try and see what was going on, but failed spectacularly. Shizuo, who easily towered above most of the people in the crowd, lifted me up with one arm. With the other, he waved to someone on the set. Smiling, a particularly good-looking actor waved back. Shizuo started to blush for a moment, but remembered me and displayed me to him.

Embarrassed, I waved to the actor.

"That's Kasuka, my little brother. He goes by Yuuhei Hanejima as an actor. I... I want you to meet him, if you could." His face turned red like someone had hit his face with a brick.

"Shizu-chan... You really love your little brother, don't you?" I asked rhetorically, with a genuinely amused smile.

"That... that wasn't quite what I meant, but... I, uh... Listen, just don't tell anyone that."

I chuckled. "Who am I going to tell?" I realized what I said after it was too late. As Shizuo flew into a rage, I tried to keep him down, holding his arm. Unfortunately, there was no hope of doing so and he pushed me away, probably because I smelled like Izaya.

"Sorry, Hinoko-chan," he apologized after calming down. He lit a cigarette. I hugged him, now that he was unable to tell I smelled of Izaya anymore. Closing my eyes, I hugged him tighter and rested my head on his chest, as he leaned on a tree in Ikebukuro's concrete jungle.

"Don't fall asleep on me, now..."

"I always go to sleep early... so I can wake up early, too."

I fell asleep in his arms. It felt like a mistake, but he was just as soft as the red gate of the shrine.

**Yay! Wasn't that a cute ending? Of course, there will be consequences...**

**Reviews? Please? Please?**


	6. Chapter 6

~AWAY FROM HOME~

MintyAlfalfa

Chapter 6

I was violently roused from my previously peaceful sleep.

"Miss Hinoko, wake up! Get up! Hurry!" One of the family members was shaking me forcefully. I opened my eyes and collected myself. I was in the hideout - it smelled like it - in a room that I hadn't been in before. I was sitting upright in an old sleeping bag. My brother looked at me, urging me to get up and make haste.

"You've got to get out of here, Miss Hinoko! Normally... we wouldn't have woken you up, since you're not really a member, but you're really important to the boss-"

"Enough! What's going on?" I asked, harsher than I had meant, since I had just been awakened. "S-Sorry. Please tell me what's happening."

"Some guys are attacking the base! We think they're from the Tsukaba clan. Hurry, we've gotta run!" He dragged me away towards the window. As my senses slowly sharpened, I heard the echoes of screaming and the ringing of automatic gunshots. I thought I heard a three-round burst somewhere in between. The brother, surprisingly strong, heaved me up and held me out over the windowpane. I glanced downward. The ground was at least 40 or 50 feet down.

"Wait!" I shouted. I gulped as I stared at the uninviting pavement down below.

Too late. The yakuza jumped.

Impact with the concrete was imminent. My life - mostly being a miko, getting average grades, and telling secrets about the so-called Hannanashi family - flashed before me. Just as we got all the way below the window, bullets flew above our heads. It was a relief that we weren't shot, but the ground loomed ever closer, at a shocking rate. My heart seemed to skip several beats. We crashed on a solid cement sidewalk. Neither of us had landed on the other; we both fell on our sides. I could swear that I heard the crunch several of mine and my companion's bones breaking. Passers-by looked on in bewilderment, but quickly looked away as if they had seen nothing. Desensitized rodents. I wanted to die. Perhaps getting shot _would_ have been a preferable alternative after all. My consious was straddling the line between excruciatingly self-aware pain and the sweet relief of an uneasy slumber. I closed my eyes tightly and waited several long seconds for the icy hand of Death to pat my shoulder. When it didn't come, I surrendered myself to teeth-clenching horror. I passed out, just as a shadow stood over me...

THE NEXT MORNING

Apparently, I had slept for more than 12 hours, for when I came to, it was the morning after the one where I had been violently woken up and even more violently put back to sleep.

Opening my eyes, I faintly made out a pair of shiny glasses coupked with a goofy grin. "She's awake, Celty!" said a rather silly voice. My vision cleared, and I saw that I was in an average apartment room. The man who I had seen was now milling about the room, humming to himself about some girl without a head. Deranged little bastard, wasn't he? He was wearing a lab coat and had a quite normal head of dark hair. He looked rather usual, but acted like a weirdo. Who was this guy? Some kind of doctor?

A woman with shadows flowing from her neck in place of a head walked into the room. She typed a few things on what appeared to be a small keyboard and held it up the the doctor guy's face.

"Okay." He seemed to be communicating with her. The woman, wearing a leather budysuit, walked back into the other room.

"What just happened?" I asked the doctor guy, stunned. Was this some kind of coma dream?

"Shizuo's going to come and get you in a few minutes," he informed me, not answering my immediate question at all.

"What just happened?" I repeated, planning on doing so until the question was answered.

"What?" he asked, completely disregarding the weirdness surrounding the headless lady who had just passed through.

"Who was that?"

"Ohhhhh, that was Celty. She doesn't have a - well, she lost her head. She's a dullahan."

"A what?" I asked blankly.

"A dullahan. A headless female horseman who visits those who are about to die. But... she lost her head, and she's looking for it."

"Okay..." This made very little sense to me, but I conceded.

"Personally, I don't really want her to find it. I love her the way she is. As long as we live together, I'm happy."

"Alright..." So they live together. Yeah, that's not weird.

"I guess this probably isn't making much sense. Here's your shrine maiden outfit, if you're ready to change into it." He handed me my miko garb. "I'm Shinra, by the way." I mumbled thanks and started to change as soon as he left the room.

Finished dressing, I stared at myself. I was standing up just fine. I had no pain in my muscles or joints, or anything. What happened? I could have sworn I was knocking on Death's door. There were no bruises or cuts. It was as thought nothing had happened to me.

Wanting to get my mind off of this disturbing subject, I called Shinra back in.

He opened the door and fixed his eyes on me. "Ha, nobody lied when they said you were cute."

I blushed. "Wh-Who said I was cute?"

"Shizuo. And Izaya. What's with you anyway, yakuza girl? It's not really safe to be with both of them, you know. You're skating on thin ice, Miss Hannanashi."

"That's... that's not how it is." It really wasn't a lie. I wasn't with either of them - and certainly not both. My interactions with them and the reality of my life were far apart. When I was with either of them, it seemed like I was dreaming. As though nothing was real. Like I could let go of the truth, and it would be just fine. When I was with the family, everything was harshly realistic. Everything was shown as it truly existed. It felt like I was living on the edge, and I was. I was in so much danger, and the reality was so clear it threatened to put me in its mouth and swallow me whole.

"I don't know if I believe you~!" Shinra joked, half seriously.

"Um... Shinra? I have a question to ask you." I wanted to change the subject, yes, but this was important, too.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Why am I okay? Wasn't I injured at all? I fell from at least 15 meters! I didn't land on anything but pavement. Why did I come out without a scratch?"

"To be honest, Miss Hannanashi, I don't know. That other guy you were with took some pretty heavy damage, but you seem unscathed. You're sure you didn't land on top of him?"

"Completely sure."

"Then I'm sorry to say I don't have an explanation for you. When Shizuo brought you here and explained what happened to you, I wasn't sure you would even make it alive. But by the time I examined you, you were perfectly healthy. I was actually going to ask you how you did that." He explained. It all made sense. Shizuo found me and the yakuza guy and brought us here.

Speak of the devil. Shizuo entered the room. "Hinoko?"

"Shizu-chan!" I ran toward him, on unreasonably strong legs. I curled my arms around him and buried my face in his chest as I had the day before... er, two days before.

"Hinoko-chan... You're okay? How do you not have any wounds?" He looked down at me, concerned.

"I don't know... But I'm happy to see you again." It started again. That feeling. I wasn't myself. I didn't want to stop it, though. It wasn't a bad feeling at all.

"Hinoko-chan, maybe you should go back to the hideout... As much as I missed you, I don't have lots of time to hang out with you right now." He smiled regretfully, and said goodbye.

"Bye, Shizu-chan..." My heart sank. "I think I'll be off, Mr. Shinra." I bowed. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"It's no trouble," he said. "Come back anytime."

...

PART TWO

...

Ritsu hurried from the hideout to the subway station. She took the line down to Shibuya and sped along in a taxi to Izaya's apartment. She climbed several flights of stairs, too impatient for an elevator, to his apartment's floor. She knocked on the door rapidly and repeatedly.

Namie opened the door. "Ritsu-san! I thought you were long gone! Well, Izaya isn't here at the moment... Come in, why don't you have some tea?" She swept me into the main room.

They sat down and Namie poured some tea. Ritsu sipped it, waiting patiently for Izaya to return.

"I've really never seen him so worried for another human being before... Of course, I'm pretty sure he was just wondering what happened to his little toy." She said the last part under her breath. Ritsu was too innocent, even for Namie's sharp tongue.

"I really want to apologize to him... some really crazy stuff happened to me."

"Hmm... don't tell me until he gets home. Then, you can tell both of us. It'd be more fun to watch his reaction... maybe I'll finally get to see that asshole smile get wiped off his goddamned face...!" Again, she said the last part in a whisper to herself. Ritsu didn't see the point in asking. She wanted to see it, too.

Two hours passed.

"Strange, he should be here by now." Ritsu and Namie were playing cards to pass the time.

Suddenly, the door swung open. "Namie-chan, you're supposed to lock it... how many times have I told you... Ritsu-chan?" He stared at the young girl, dressed as a shrine maiden, in disbelief. "How... Why... What happened to you? I was so worried, Ritsu-chan!" He seemed genuinely surprised for a moment, but quickly returned to his usual condescending tone.

"Well, Izaya-kun... It's a long story." One she had to rehearse an extra few hours at the hideout, it was so long...

**Did you have fun? Just remember, things have still only just begun. You got a little taste of the action I'm planning on putting in later chapters.**

**Thanks for another review, authoranonymousdouble7/CheshireInBoots.**

**But... all you other people! I beg you for your reviews! D:**

**A very alarming problem in Chapter One has been fixed, so maybe more people will read further now... idk though.**


	7. Chapter 7

AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 7

MintyAlfalfa

**A great day for a new chapter, eh? Hope you enjoy this one...**

...

"And that was what happened?" Izaya asked suspiciously. Ritsu nodded her head. She told him the story of how she got lost on the street and was found by a kindly old woman who introduced her to her granddaughter, who was vastly different from Ritsu despite being very close in appearance. She then told him a heartwarming story of friendship and forgiveness, and her companionship with the girl's mentally ill younger brother.

"Wasn't that the plot of some Yuuhei Hanejima movie...?" Namie mumbled to herself, heard by neither of the two. Some thunder boomed outside while she was whispering, muffling her completely.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to make you so worried." Ritsu apologized. "To be honest, I couldn't stop thinking about you." She looked down to her feet, and Izaya patted her on the back. She had almost forgotten how maliciously enthralling he was. He was warm to the touch, despite the rain outside.

"It's okay. So, how are you feeling, Ritsu-chan?" Izaya asked, wearing a familiar devilish grin.

"Hmm? I'm fine. Why do you ask?" She asked, taken by surprise.

"Well, it's just so dreadfully _cold_ outside... I'm just concerned that you might have caught a cold. Or struck by lightning, or something." He chuckled, brushing aside the tense air into the cold, damp night.

Ritsu chuckled too. "I'm okay," she replied. "But what about you? What happened to your fur jacket?"

"Oh, I lost it." He said it rather plainly. "It was a little after you disappeared. I was at the store, and what do you know, someone stole it while I ran to the ATM. I hope they get disappointed when they find out it's not real fur." He laughed again, this time with much more sincerity.

"That's too bad. I hope _you_ didn't catch a cold, Izaya-kun."

"Yeah. So, do you feel like some dinner, Ritsu-chan? I wanna take you out, now that I know you're okay."

"Sure. But you should put on another jacket. If you get sick, what will I do without you?" Ritsu continued to smile.

"Alright. Hmm... I guess you won't be too cold in your shrine maiden clothes." He took a sweater off of a coat rack near the door. It was exactly the same as his other one. "Luckily, I have a supply of these. People have been stealing them left and right. That jacket was the fourth I lost!"

They took a few steps out of the room, then, a few rooms down the hallway, Izaya took her by the arms to a tiny whitewashed stairway, which was quite a distance from the elevator and main stairway and seemed to have grown dusty over years of neglect.

"There. No one ever goes here, not even the maintenance people." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her.

"Izaya-kun!" She pushed him away. "I'm - we're not...!"

"It's okay, Ritsu-chan." he said, in a voice that melted her senses a little bit. He caressed her face and neck. Nothing could stop this guy's charisma, but this was absolutely uncalled for.

"S-Stop it... I don't want to -"

"Shhh. Okay, I'll stop." He attempted to touch her hand, but Ritsu swatted even this away. Eyes burning, she asked him to stop entirely.

"Stop what? You like me, don't you? I can see it in your eyes. You keep begging me to do it, then you act all surprised. It's really maddening, Ritsu-chan. Can't you make up your mind? I thought that, while you were gone, you thought about me. You said so yourself." He said this so demeaningly, like she was so far beneath him, she shouldn't have the right to not know her true feelings. _That_ was maddening.

"I'm sorry, Izaya-kun... But, that's not my intention at all! I like you, but I don't want to be with you. It's too weird, because we've been living together... and besides, there's someone else I know from home..." Amazed both by Izaya's mocking little speech and her own ability to come up with stories on the spot, Ritsu sighed.

"Really? Or are you lying to me?"

"What? What do you mean, Izaya-kun? What would I be lying about?" Ritsu asked.

"I don't know... It's just, you're so innocent. I don't think I've ever met someone as innocent as you, Ritsu-chan. Are you... some kind of angel, or something?"

"What? Izaya-kun, that doesn't make any sense! What are you talking about?" Ritsu looked at him, with another look of sheer innocence.

"Hmm... I can't picture an angel with your accent, though. Still, you're so innocent, it almost makes me feel kind of like I'm attracted to a child... But you're not a child, it's just so perfect! I love you, Ritsu-chan!" It had to be a lie. It_ had_ to be a lie. There was no way he was telling the truth. "Of course, I love everybody, but you especially! Hehehahahahahaha!"

He picked her up swayed her around, making the rickety staircase crack and whine at every step with which he hurried back up to safety. "Do you love me, Ritsu-chan?" he asked as they entered the elevator. "Nah, don't answer that if you don't want to."

As they drove out of the building's parking structure, she began to sense more and more that he suspected her. Nothing was right with this situation.

...

PART TWO

...

"You really think Izaya is on to you?" asked Mr. Hannanashi, with a concerned tone.

"I'm not certain. But he's been acting very strangely, like he's convinced I'm hiding something from him. I'm just not sure how much he knows."

"This is very, very bad. We should_ not_ be in a position where we don't know what he's thinking. He can't have the upper hand. He's dangerous. Perhaps... it's best to get rid of him right now." Mr. Hannanashi was sullen. "It's better than nothing. Even if we don't come out with any advantage on the Awakusu, it's good to just silence him."

"S-Sir! The real objective of this entire mission is to-" An underling cried out from the small crowd. It was Keiichi.

"Silence Orihara Izaya. And we'll be doing just that. Keiichi, I know you think she too delicate for this kind of mission, but this is her chance to prove you wrong. Show us how strong your resolve is, Hannanashi Hinoko. We're counting on you. Kill him while you still have time." The leader was fierce, and his voice was in control. He was a born yakuza leader.

"Definitely, sir."

With that, I left the hideout, unsure what to do or who to follow.

...

PART THREE

...

"How funny. Hinoko-chan, do you really think you can do it?" Shizuo asked me, with a condescending tone surprisingly similar to Izaya's. He laughed out loud. "Scary Hinoko-chan! So frightening! Ahahahahaha! You're a really good person, I think, but I doubt this sense of 'yakuza resolution' is one of your strengths." He continued to laugh uncontrollably. "You -huff- kill -huff- Izaya? A... Ahahahahhahahaha! Kihihahahahahahahaha!"

"Sh-Shut up! I'm leaving!" I began to storm off, but Shizuo soon caught up with me.

"Hinoko-chan, wait! -huff- Ahhhh." He paused for a moment to reorganize himself. "I'm not saying you don't have the guts to kill Izaya. It's just that you won't because I'm the only one who gets to kill him! I swear, if you get near him, I will protect him just so you can't kill him and I can! I don't give a crap about the Hannanashi clan's dominance or whatever, even if it concerns you. I'll be the one to kill him, and that's final. _I'm Shizuo fucking Heiwajima_!"

"Well, you've made your point clear. But we'll see who gets to him first."

"Hahaha! You're on, Hannanashi-san! I'm going to call you that until I win, since I'm competing with the Hannanashi family rather than you." He rejoiced, then saw my glare.

"What do you mean, Shizu-chan? Why the family instead of me?"

"Well, you're not doing it for yourself, right? There's the whole thing about family unity, but you're not killing him for a personal vendetta, right? And aren't you already part of the family since you did that other job for them? So it's my desire at odds with the Hannanashi clan's desire." He explained it well, but I still felt uneasy. What did he mean, not a personal vendetta? Wasn't he the one who purposefully interfered with my family's business? One of the many creeds of Hannanashi-kai was "Business is personal", after all.

"Fine. But I'm going to win it. I'll be waiting for you by Izaya's corpse, Shizu-chan." This was the truth. This was reality. The reality was that I had to stop messing around. Any feelings for him didn't matter. I couldn't let them get stronger than my resolve. This was a blood matter, and as I thought longer about it, I realized I had never been so far, physically or mentally, away from home.

...

PART FOUR

...

"Concerning your darling granddaughter Akane..." The informant lazily, but brilliantly, began. His first move was a cruel one.

"That's - That's none of your concern, Mr. Orihara. She hasn't come back since that say so long ago. I haven't seen her. What do you want?" This elderly man was the leader of the Awakusu clan. After many years of experience, he knew to be careful when speaking with Izaya.

"She's a young lady now. Don't you know anything about her? Don't you have any clue as to what kind of life she's living?" He continued to press the subject.

"Akane... She would be in high school around now... I don't know what she's doing now, or if she's even alive. My grandson... her older brother has been working so hard to find her. Keiichi." The old man did not seem at all troubled, despite the powerful words he had spoken. He stared Izaya down with his own expercience. This was not a battle he was going to win. But he had at least something to gain from it.

"So, your grandson would be Keiichi Awakusu? I've never heard of him. That seems a little fishy. There aren't a lot of people in Ikebukuro that I don't know about." He picked a different battle. Was the old man lying about having a grandson named Keiichi? Why would he? If he was telling the truth, who the hell was this guy who had escaped Izaya's radar for at least longer than Akane had been around?

One thing was for sure: the girl he had met with Ritsu was Akane Awakusu, not Shimura. It had been years since he had seen her - she was still a child then - but he easily recognized her. And though she had tried to hide it for who knows what reason, she recognized him as well.

"He is. He isn't very active at all in the family's politics - he can't hold a gun, or talk someone down - but he is my grandson. Keiichi. I'm sure he will make a fine young man, but outside of this family's business. Still, he loves his little sister. He told me he saw her once, and that she was a beautiful young lady. I'm not sure if he was making it up, or if she only looked beautiful from his memories, or even if he had really seen her at all. He's a tricky one, even if he is a coward. Incompetence aside, there's no telling what he's up to at any given moment." The man straightened his tie after he finished his speech. Izaya was pleased that he was willing to divulge so much information about this Keiichi. It was like trying to take candy from a baby, or like trying to get an old man to talk about his grandchildren - he wasn't surprised at all. It was almost kind of boring, but Izaya was willing to get all the information he could about Keiichi Awakusu.

_Sounds like an ordinary street coward_, he thought. It did occur to him that the grandfather's story may have been a bit biased. But there was enough to do a little research. There had to be some evidence that Ritsu was more than meets the eye.

...

**Heh, another long chapter. Only took a day to write it, though. Review, yes? I would be very pleased if you reviewed my story. I think I've made it quite clear so far. Maybe just post some observations you have made about the story? I put quite a few little things in there.**

**Please keep reading! It seems things are finally starting to really take off.**


	8. Chapter 8

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 8

MintyAlfalfa

**I have a feeling in my heart that this is going to be a long chapter. I think you'll like it, though. Read through it, you might find some stuff you'll like. Maybe some references... to pouplar culture and the like. I made sure some of them are easy and the others are super-abstract & pretentious! :D**

Nothing was right at this point.

"What am I supposed to do, Lady Katsura?" The head priestess was all that I could turn to. When I was a child, I would always ask for her advice.

"Nothing. Just grin and bear it." She would never give me anything, though. All she would do was smile her goofy-ass smile, trying to cheer me up.

I sat in solitude on a wooden bench in a part on the outskirts of town. I had to go far away. Far enough away that I could run home if I had to. The choice was always there. I could pretend that I got lost and tell my parents I lived at a motel for a month on the weak funds they had provided me with. Izaya and Shizuo could never come looking for me - how could they look for me in a village founded by cultists that isn't even on the maps? The Hannanashi family? Well, that was a question I couldn't find any answer to. What about Keiichi? What about Mr. Hannanashi, and the guy who risked and lost his life to save me? I had blood lost within my family, and they knew where I lived. I was trapped in hell.

I stared at the bags I had packed for no reason. I couldn't kill Izaya. I winced at this. I had killed the rebellious youth who I didn't even know, and I couldn't kill someone guilty of much, much more? Someone who my own family had condemned to death? I'm a coward, I thought. If I love Izaya so much, why can't I just stay with him forever?

But I didn't love him at all. Any feelings I had for him couldn't overshadow his cruelty, and his utter lack of respect for any kind of human life - espscially me. I still felt like I could never kill him, no matter what, though. Just the thought of him being hurt at all disturbed me - by Shizuo, by Mr. Hannanashi, anyone. It was scary to think that he could die. No one close to me had ever died before - that must have been it. I thought of my own cowardice again. How could I be foolish enough to kill someone, without realizing that that person had people who cared about him, and people who he cared about, too? I felt like punching myself in the face. Idiot! You spectacular idiot!

It was far worse than anything I had done before. Lady Katsura was not there. My family - well, my parents and brother and sister - weren't there, either. There was no one who could forgive me. I could never be innocent again. I am stained with blood forever. Why am I so depressed? There is nothing in the world that I can look forward to. But it was my own fault. That was what saddened me the most. I thought I was smart. But I'm the biggest idiot in the world. I haven't the bloodlust (to kill Izaya), the courage (to tell the truth to the family), the love (to be with Izaya), the intelligence (to run away and cover it all up), nor the sadness (to end it all). I thought again, I'm trapped in hell with no way out until I get over myself.

Give up everything? I was too prideful! Nothing in the world could pull me out of the hole I dug myself into.

As I looked up, the sun was about to set. I watched it, hoping my fears would be dissolved by the time the light disappeared. The road was bleak in both directions: south to my left, north to my right.

About to fall again, I heard a sudden, but very soft rumbling noise. Then, a loud shriek. I didn't know what it was, but it didn't sound human. I got up to take a closer look. There was a tiny black speck on the nothern horizon. It was riding toward Tokyo, it seemed. This road wasn't all that far away from there. Still, it was longer than a short trip from Ikebukuro.

The sound got closer. I recognized the shriek as the whinnying of a horse. How strange. Was it a farm truck, or something? I had seen one of those go through the village once.

I backed up as the vehicle got even closer. I was able to tell now that it was far too small to be a truck - its size was closer to that of a motorcycle. The figure riding it had a bright yellow helmet.

The motorcycle began to slow down. I started to panic. I had heard of those "motorcylce rapists" on television! Oh, God. What was I going to do? Lady Katsura, help me~!

It came to a full stop in front of me. The rider was female. She lifted her arms to take off her helmet. When she did so, it was... empty?

The enigmatic figure approached me and produced a fancy cell phone. She rattled away on the keyboard.

**"It's you!"**

"What?" I thought of the weird people I had met in Ikebukuro. I suddenly remembered - Dr. Shinra's girlfriend.

"Miss Celty?"

**"Hey, you remembered me! I guess it's not hard to forget someone like me, though... So, do you need a ride? Miss Hinoko, was it?"**

"Uh, yes! That would be appreciated." The words came out of my mouth before I made a decision. Idiot!

**"Hop on, then."**

I got on to Celty's bike and held on to her tightly. I asked her how she was doing, and she shook her head.

"You're unhappy?" I asked stupidly. Celty started to shake. I noticed she was laughing at me. She couldn't type on her phone while she was riding the motorcycle-horse. Idiot! She was laughing at how much of an _idiot_ I was.

It felt as thought almost no time had passed while we rode on to Shinra's apartment. It was likely due to my own constant thinking. I was never without worry. There was far, far too much to think about, and when I thought about it, there hadn't been much to think of before.

I was so sure of my own resolve. Nothing could get in the way of the family. But I was too much of a coward to do what they wanted me to. Why couldn't I make up my mind? Had Izaya poisoned me with his own mysterious charm? Or was I just too indecisive for my own good? Maybe a little bit of both?

When I pondered this, hours felt like seconds. We got to Ikebukuro around midnight, but I thought I didn't have enough time to think over everything completely. But really, I had considered everything. Now, I was just obsessing over it.

"**We're here,"** Celty typed after we came to a halt.

"Already?" I whispered, too quietly for the woman two inches away from me to hear. When I got off, I hestiated for a moment. Which way should I go?

**"Hey... do you need a place to stay?"**

"Uh... I think so. Just for tonight, is that alright?"

**"Gladly."**

...

PART TWO

...

"So I take it Izaya's still alive?" I asked Shinra, munching on the eggs Celty had begrudgingly made for the three of us.

"Why? Did something happen? Why would he not be alive?" he asked.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

"Well, I haven't heard anything. But I haven't talked to him in a while." Shinra clarified.

"Well... Shizuo told me... He swore he would kill him before I did."

"Before you did?" he inquired.

I nodded.

"He doesn't think you'll kill him."

At first, I didn't process what he said. It was just an answer. But soon I realized the weight of the words. Shizuo didn't think I would kill Izaya. And he was absolutely right. But how did he know?

"I guess... he would be right."

"Do you love him? Is that why you can't kill him?" Shinra asked.

"Not love. No, not that. I guess I might like him a little bit. But I hate him. I just don't want him to disappear forever." The answer rolled off my tongue so easily. I spoke the truth in my heart. I paid no mind to the thoughts I had so cautiously pulled together the previous evening. It was the answer I had been looking for, and it was staring me right in the face. That was how I felt. It was the fact that I couldn't share it with anyone until just now that bothered me.

"How... sad." Shinra mumbled, a shadow darkening his face as he looked down at him meal.

"What do you mean, sad?" I asked him. Celty sat down and listened to our converation, now deeply interested. Surprisingly, Shinra failed to notice.

"You can't tell anyone that, can you? Your family, and Shizuo, will hate you for liking him at all. And Izaya can't know the truth without hating you. You're all alone." He explained. He realized my dilemma just as I did. Why did it take me so long, while he did it so easily? I guess I was just that much of an idiot.

"I... I'm not alone, though. That's what everyone who feels alone needs to realize, right? That they're really not alone at all?" I perked up. Maybe I wasn't such an idiot after all.

**"Yeah! You're not alone. You have us! And... maybe Shizuo will forgive you if you can't kill Izaya. I don't think he'll hate you that much," **Celty suddenly burst in.

**"You don't have to be scared of Shizuo at all! He likes you. I know it! If he didn't, he wouldn't have brought you here when you were injured. Or, not injured at all, I guess."**

"Th-Thank you. I'll go and see him right now, I think."

"See you, then, Hinoko." Shinra said as I got up. I walked to the door, a slight skip in my step.

"See you!"

...

PART THREE

...

"Oh, it's _you_." The same bored guy I met the last time I was in the "office" greeted me with contempt, and as I avoided sitting down on the new, barely less unsightly couch, his eyes shifted back to the lack of paperwork on his desk. "Shizuo won't be back until three," he said after a long pause.

"I see. So, can I stay here? I really have nowhere else to be."

"Why don't you just eat some lunch, or something?" he angrily suggested.

"It's so early, though. I think I'll just stay here for a bit."

"No can do, lady. I have my lunch break in just a few minutes. But I can't leave until there are no more customers. It's a policy."

"But I'm not a customer. I'm here to see-"

"So! Then you should just get out of here! You don't have any business with us."

"But I have business with someone you know is going to be here soon. Why can't I stay here?"

"You'll be locked inside! Just come get some lunch with me!"

"Okay," I answered, smiling at his foolish anger. I forgot how easy it was to laugh at someone who was angry - Shizuo was always scary when he was pissed, and Izaya was constantly calm. His pain was my pleasure. What kind of sick, Izaya-like troll had I become? Well, maybe I hadn't, and he just made a funny face whenever he got annoyed, just like the head priestess (though her face was funny all the time).

"I never got your name." Eager to sustain a civil conversation, I thought of a mundane subject.

"Ezio Auditore."

"...What?"

"My name is Auditore Ezio." he repeated plainly. "That is what I am called."

"No, it's not. You can't be Auditore Ezio. Where's your hood, and your silly assassin outfit? And what about your intact middle finger? You're no Italian, either! You're perfectly Japanese!"

"Okay, you got me. My real name is Emiya Shirou."

"It is not! Stop messing with me!"

"Fine, now we're even." He grinned, satisfied with my annoyance.

"Anakin Skywalker."

"No."

"Integral Hellsing?"

"That's not even a guy! Or... is it...? I'm not really sure... But you're definitely not herhim!"

"Herhim?" The unknown young man started to giggle.

"Just tell me your name."

"Taro Kobayashi," he said. Believable, but too common. I couldn't tell whether he was lying or not. It was a good alias.

"Can't tell if I'm telling the truth or not, can you? Silly girl."

"Oh, yeah? Well the joke's on you! My real name is..."

"Hinoko something. Shizuo called you that before. I'm not deaf." He paid more attention to detail than I suspected. His appearance was the perfect counter to his wit. Or, at least, his passing intelligence.

"Wanna go have some Russia Sushi?" he asked me.

"But... it's terrible!" I complained.

"It's cheap!" He dragged me to the restaurant.

"Privyet, customers! Hm? What's this? Ritsu cheating on Izaya? Very bad. Ritsu more tricky than reveal!"

"Ritsu... Miyama? That was the name you used, right?"

"Yeah... listen, I don't want to explain."

"Eh, you don't have to," he said lazily. ''Taro'' sat down.

As I approached the seat next to him, someone tapped on my shoulder.

**CLIFFHANGER! Hate me all you want.**

**That was the anniversary chapter! _Away from Home_ has been published bi-weekly up to this point! But that's not a fixed schedule. I just keep that as a goal, plus I always have more time to write on the weekends.**

**Note: This was supposed to come out on Friday, but I was having issues with Internet connection.**

**See you soon! And review... I need reviews to sustain my life! I'll be updating soon, at least before Thanksgiving.**

**Also, I know Integra's a girl. Just messing around.**


	9. Chapter 9

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 9

MintyAlfalfa

**Alright! Before Thanksigiving, as promised. Hope you like this chapter. Review it even if you don't.**

"Ritsu-senpai!" I turned around and saw that Akane was facing me. She bowed and apologized if she had startled me. "What happened, uh, to Mr. Orihara?"

"Akane... That's not important right now. Listen, I'm just waiting for someone. Can you keep an eye out for Izaya?" I needed to know if he was around. I would be in a dangerous situation if Izaya was near.

"So, does that mean you haven't finished your task yet?" she asked, as I realized my mistake too late.

"...No," I reluctantly answered. "But this is going to be a big part of it." This was something of a lie.

"Um... Miyama-san? Would you like to introduce us?" ''Taro'' asked.

"Oh! Where are my manners? Akane-chan, this is Taro Kobayashi. He's a... friend of mine. Kobayashi-san, this is Akane Shimura, my kohai from my old high school." I tried to be as vague as I could; I wanted to avoid mixing these two separate worlds. Somehow, though, I knew they would end up crashing together. Still, it felt necessary to keep it up as long as I could.

"Hello, Miss Shimura."

"Hello, Mr. Kobayashi." They shook hands. Akane held her breath for a moment, awaiting a tight, firm grip. Instead, "Taro" barely touched her. He was too shy to grasp her soft, featherlike hands and the two blushed.

"Simon! Can we have three orders of the fancy sashimi?"

"Sure! As long as Ritsu's new friend pays!" Simon laughed heartily, sounding especially Russian then. "Three sashimi specials!"

The three sat down together. Akane waved goodbye to her classmates and signaled that she would eat with Taro and I. As she sat down, she noticed Taro was staring into her eyes. She blushed and avoided looking into his. "Kobayashi-san..."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Miss Shimura." He couldn't help but notice the pain and seclusion in them. When he looked away, he found it hard not to look at them again - he was fascinated by the emotion that they pointed to but couldn't really explain. In his mind, he asked her. "Why are your eyes so sad?" He imagined her answer. Was it some kind of abuse? Unrequited love? Or just a difficult life? Despite the sadness, he also saw innocence in her eyes. He felt like giving her a hug.

A waiter placed the plates in front of each person in the group. After receiving her food, Akane looked into it, as if it was a mirror that she could use to look at her own eyes and see how sorry and hurt they were. To be honest, even the "special" sashimi was of dubious quality, so I didn't blame her if it was that.

I immediately began digging in, as did Taro. I noticed Akane wasn't eating at all.

"What's wrong, Akane? Are you not feeling well?" I asked, with a concerned tone. She didn't look well at all, in fact. She shook her head.

"That's fine. We'll get you a box so you can take it home. Don't worry, we'll pay."

...

PART TWO

...

The next night, it rained hard. The first few drops stung Ritsu's feverish face one by one, but the next ones felt as though they weren't drops at all - simply water being poured all over her. Shivering, she sloshed through the rapidly growing puddles to Izaya's apartment. Just as she opened the door, she encountered Izaya himself.

"Ritsu-chan! I thought you'd never come back." Each word was spoken in amusement - he didn't seem surprised, but entertained, by her presence. He was teasing her again. Wasn't their any other way for him to express happiness?

"I'm here, yeah." She was uncomfortable taking a step closer to this man, but the rain was so hard and the air so cold that she gladly accepted any shelter that presented itself to her. As soon as she crossed the threshold, Izaya took her by the arm.

"I keep missing you... Where did you go this time?" he asked, wondering what story she would fabricate this time.

She had no story, so she told him some of the truth. "I was out... thinking. I was wondering what I should do with myself." This statement eased her into a fitting lie. "I've been relying on you a lot, and even though you seem to enjoy my presence... even though I enjoy being with you, too, I just don't think I should hang around you all the time."

"Why? Don't you have nowhere else to go?"

"It's better than making you take care of me."

"But I don't mind. I need you, too. A... sort of a morale booster."

"What do you mean, a morale booster?" She looked up at him, instead of staring at her feet. She ended up looking away again, having realized that his maroon-colored eyes were piercing down at her own normal, brown ones the whole time.

"I just think you're cute. You're all soaking wet, though. Why don't you come in where it's warm?" She was already inside, but he wanted to take her to the apartment. Perhaps he had a bet with Namie, or something? Or perhaps he wanted to tease her just a little more.

"You're quick to change the subject, Izaya-kun. Why is me being cute a morale booster? I never thought you were the kind of person who cared about cute things." She wanted to expand on this subject. She was a million miles away from breaking him, but she wanted to interest him. He had Ritsu all figured out, and that was contrary to the eventual plan. She knew she'd never have the strength to kill him, but every inch closer was an inch toward the trust of the family.

"Well, you don't know me very well." For once, he had told her the truth. It was an answer as straight as a handlebar mustache, but it was still the truth. This was the most formidable kind of answer. In all honesty, she knew next to nothing about him. She knew what kind of person he was - untrustworthy, conceited, spiteful, dangerously clever - but she knew little about his interests, his friends, his goals in life. She knew all about his personality but there seemed to be so much more about him that he kept an air of mystery. Maybe, she thought, there was really not much else about him. That would make him much more tragic. All he could do was keep hurting others because he had nothing else to hold on to. But that was a fantasy. In truth, she simply didn't know what was going on with him.

She embraced him, happy to be with this mysterious being again. "That won't make you know more about me, you know," he said, though not resisting her at all.

"What will, then, Izaya-kun?" Here was a question that _she_ truthfully wanted to be answered.

"That's a good question." He chose not to elaborate. That clever bastard.

...

PART THREE

...

"You never told me what happened with Shizuo!" Shinra bounced up and down, anticipating a long and romantic explanation.

"I never got to see him," I replied. "He hadn't shown up by the time I had to meet with the family. I told Taro to give him a message, but I don't know anything yet."

"What message did you give him?" Still convinced he would hear of some romance, Shinra pressed every topic.

"I just told him to tell Shizuo that I visited."

"How... dissapointing." He gave up and his face settled into a sullen expression. "So, you don't really know if Taro is his actual name?" He tried to revive the conversation, always leaning toward optimism.

"Yeah." On the other hand, I was not in the mood for a chat. Shinra sighed. Celty tilted her head downward, crossed her arms, and breathed deeply, as if she were sighing as well.

"What were those silly names he suggested for himself, again?" I had already told him once.

"I don't wanna talk about it, Shinra."

"Okay... *sigh*. How's it going with Izaya?"

"I still don't know what he's planning, or even if he's planning anything at all. I don't know, maybe he's convinced Ritsu is a real person and he's trying to mess with her head."

"Maybe. He does get a lot of those kinds of girls. You'd think he'd be more enthusiastic to meet a different one." Shinra sympathized with the frustration apparent in my voice. It seemed earlier that I was constantly trying to hide my identity. Now, it seemed like he was the one keeping the secrets and I was trying to get him to notice me.

"Uh-huh..." I drifted off. I decided that all of this wasn't good for me, and chose to finally go see Shizuo, now that it was his day off. "I'm gonna run. See you later, you two."

...

PART FOUR

...

While I rushed to the debt collector's agency building, I noticed Izaya taling to some girl in a deserted old tea house. Curious, I took a closer look while sure they weren't paying attention to me. It was Akane. I could hear a part of their conversation before running off.

"I don't know anything, Izaya! You'll have to ask her yourself."

"Oh, but you _know_ I can't do that, Akane-chan. You're absolutely _sure_ you don't know anything unusual about Ritsu-chan, or if she has connections to people in your family?" He smirked. "Like your _big brother_?"

I had the lingering feeling that he had met Akane before I introduced her, and this confirmed it.

Akane was defiant. I had rarely seen her this way. "I haven't seen my big brother since before I first met you. I don't know anything about him, and I don't want to." She did a good job of keeping the story straight.

"But he's been looking for you, hasn't he? Have you not seen him at all, or have you been avoiding him? He wants to see you, you know."

"I don't have to answer you if I don't want to, you asshole." I had never heard Akane use rough language. I decided I had listened to enough to know what was going on, and I left, driven by desire to see Shizuo more than the desire to listen to this conversation. I just wanted to take my mind off of it.

Which way did he live again?

**Well, there it is! I procrastinated for a day, actually. But I still kept my promise! And review! It makes my heart weep that anyone reads this through and doesn't care to review it. But take your time, I don't want you to write a review before you even know what it's about.**

**Until next time! (Probably on the weekend again.) :P**

**UPDATED. I accidentally uploaded the pre-edit version, so I had to edit it all over again. I also took some time to answer some other questions. Enjoy!**


	10. Chapter 10

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 10

MintyAlfalfa

**Ah~ I feel so inspired by fresh reviews! I will try to keep improving this fanfic! **

In between the old tea house where Akane and Izaya were dangerously close and the crowded street and sidewalk, I was worried. I had forgotten the directions to the debt collecting agency's building, and there weren't a lot of other places to go.

Nothing felt right at all. I felt the need to make a decision, or at least produce some result from some kind of action, but I was too dumb and dumbfounded to do anything, rational or not.

Luckily, someone much smarter came to my rescue.

"Hinoko-chan! There you are! I haven't seen you in a while now, have I?" The familiar voice of Shizuo Heiwajima graced my presence.

"Sh-Shizuo! I was, uh, looking for you, too!" That came out so idiotically that I did not wish to describe it: my voice was shaking, and it cracked right as I said, "looking", and I closed my eyes and blushed like I was some kind of anime character who was meeting her future boyfriend for the first time.

He only chuckled. "So how are you?" he asked pleasantly. His rough, yet kind friendly voice was music to my ears. He looked at me through his sunglasses and I smiled again. When he looked at me, he was surprised at something, but he couldn't quite pick up what.

"H-Hey! You look different!" he shouted awkwardly. I thoguht of anything new that I done with my appearance recently. Only one thing came to mind.

"I'm not wearing my bandanna. I only wear it when I'm... uh... on a mission for my family," I explained, careful to avoid usage of the term "Izaya".

"Oh! That explains it!" Shizuo smiled goofily and took me by the hand. "Do you wanna have lunch with me?" he asked hopefully.

"S-Sure," I was embarrassed. His words, though obviously shy and flustered, melted me inside. He started walking away from the intensity of the scene of Akane and Izaya conversing. I chose to stop messing around and just give him a hug and a kiss. On the cheek!

When I kissed him (his cheek!), his skin was very hot, almost like he had a fever. He was just blushing, though, the same way as before. It was also slightly wet and uncomfortable, as he had noticeably been sweating. Still, I was dazzled by the thought of making contact with this guy, who so captured me with his dual personalities, at all.

"H-Hey, cut that out! Uh, I mean..." He was conflicted, just like I was. I could have taken this chance to sweep him off his feet with my feminine charms, but what kind of silly idea is that? It's out of the question.

"Uh, sorry," I mumbled, starting to take my hand out of his grasp. He resisted this, his grip obviously far stronger than my own, though I admittedly didn't put up much of a fight.

We ventured on to a small diner surrounded by another endless wave of city dwellers. I had been in Ikebukuro for a couple weeks, but I had never gotten used to the enormous crowds. I was always used to seeing someone or a group of familiar people, wondering what they were up to, and greeting them. Of course, that sort of mindset was impossible in the city. However, this had been my behavior for my entire life. There was no one in the village I didn't recognize, or if there was a rare - say, once every year - outsider, I would be quickly introduced to them and I would recognize them from that point onward. Needless to say, such a thing wasn't the case in this vast collection of strangers.

The diner only had a few seats, but it wasn't busy enough to fill even half of them. The eatery seemed quaint, but also eery. This was either the kind of place a family would stop to eat at, or the kind of place a drug dealer and his cohorts would discuss their seedy plans, with almost no one to listen in.

"This place has really good food at a modest price," Shizuo said. We sat down and ordered a few random items.

I had a steaming plate of ravioli in front of me. I had never eaten them before. They looked like bloated postage stamps.

"This is Italian food?" I asked Shizuo.

"Uh... yeah," he said plainly, wondering what my hesitation was for.

"What's inside of them?" I asked myself. "Is it really ground beef in there? Why is there tomato sauce on it? Isn't that something you put on pasta?"

"That _is_ pasta, Ritsu-chan. There are lots of different types," Shizuo explained, entertained by my surprisingly naive ways.

"I know that! I just didn't know this was a type of pasta!" I was embarrassed at my own actions. "I-I wasn't surprised or anything!" I sounded so stupid then. Luckily, there was no one in the restaurant to notice except for Shizuo.

"Y-You're so cute, Ritsu-chan!" he exclaimed as he laughed heartily. It reminded me of the last time I had been with him. Why was he always laughing at me? Was I that funny?

"Hmph... Shizu-chan, stop teasing me!"

"Haha, Ritsu-chan is so cuuute!" He resembled Izaya when he said this. This was exactly what I would picture Izaya doing. Except, this was genuine, and Izaya was messing with me on an even more covoluted scale. Either way, I didn't appreciate this at all.

"Stop it...!" I commanded. "I know about pasta!" I must have sounded so childish.

"Okay... Ritsu-chan, you really are adorable, though. It makes me so happy that I start laughing! Isn't that normal?" he asked, hoping to cheer me up. I wasn't _all_ that hurt, though. It wasn't exactly painful to hear Shizuo laugh. It was so beautiful and natural, in a form differing from Izaya's naturally diabolical, mischievous laughter.

"Hey... ravioli's not that bad," I commented as I finally tried some. I continued to eat it, not really noticing Shizuo's dish.

Our bill came.

"Wh-Whaaat?" I was shocked. "Didn't you say the food is at a modest price, Shizu-chan?"

"You're the one who ordered all the fancy ravioli. Didn't you see the price? It was marked," said the waiter. "It's not like you get free second helpings. You did order 3 dishes of ravioli, is that correct, miss?"

I was still in shock. Shizuo was in even greater shock. I had to make sure to keep him out of trouble. "Shizu-chan, I'm really, really sorry," I apologized, trying to appeal to his proverbial sense of cuteness. It didn't even register with him.

"Y-You... call that... a MODEST PRICE?" he screamed. That wasn't even what they were advertising, it was just a phrase Shizuo himself used to describe the restaurant.

"S-Sir, please calm down! We can look over the price again, if you'd like-"

...

PART TWO

...

"Shizu-chan, don't you think that was as little reckless?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"And right in front of your girlfriend, too," said Shizuo's ever-reliable friend and employer, Tom.

"Hey, I'm not his-" I began, but was interrupted.

"You're not? Really not? I think you two look good together, though."

"Wh-What do you mean?" I gasped, knowing perfectly what he meant.

"Lay off her, Tom. She's innocent, don't hassle her," Shizuo defended. Tom raised an eyebrow.

We continued on down the crowded city street. I stared at Shizuo whenever I could sense that he wasn't staring at me, and looked away as soon as he noticed, as he did with me. When we were waiting at a particularly long light at a crosswalk, I noticed that Shizuo was fidgeting and shaking, trying not to erupt. At the same time, he was trying to balance holding my hand and clenching his fist. I decided to gently let go, but Shizuo tightened his grip just as soon, as though replacing the pressure that had been lost when I withdrew my grasp.

"I'm sorry," Shizuo said so quietly I could barely perceive that he was addressing me; his words floated off into the cold, mid-evening air.

"It's okay," I said, merely in my head rather than out loud. He seemed to hear it anyway, and let go of me altogether. Tom watched us quietly the enitre time, shook his head, and sighed, "It's true love, all right."

We walked on for some more time. The city landscape was dull and monotonous, though to be honest, I didn't really get more than a passing glance at anything, at Shizuo's brisk pace. Later on, we reached the seedier part of town, then the really seedy part of town, and then we came across the debt collector's more than suspicious-looking home base. Taro, if that was his real name, was absent, and the lights were off, so I wondered why it was closed at this hour.

"Are you closed?" I asked innocently.

"No, we're not closed. Why would you think that?" responed Tom, who could not begin to fathom why I would ever suspect that such a lively little store would be closed at the time.

"Well, all the lights are off," I reasoned.

"Oh, right. We don't take calls after 4 P.M., unless they show up at the door, in which case, they're probably already screwed, in this part of town. The rest of the day, we hunt for people who can't pay their debts," Shizuo explained.

"Uh, I have a question. What is the name of the guy who works here during the day?"

"He would be Hiroyuki Asame," Tom said.

"He told me his name was Taro Kobayashi."

"Ah, yes. That might actually be his real name. I'm not sure, though. During his job interview, he kept giving us fake names from pop culture or some foreign name we'd never heard before," Tom said.

I wondered about the quality of their job interviews, or why they would even have them at all, when Shizuo tapped on my shoulder.

"Ah, what is it?"

"I want to talk to you," Shizuo declared. I couldn't say no to his words.

We quickly waved goodbye to Tom, who, as laid-back as possible, dismissed Shizuo before closing time, then smirked, I'm, sure, thinking of what we were off to do.

"This seems nice." Shizuo tucked me into a deserted alleyway. I wasn't too scared with Shizuo around. The only fear was that he would be the one to snap and hurt me, which I didn't think of while staring into his eyes.

"What is it, Shizuo?" As blinded with emotion as I was, I still wanted to know what his intentions were.

"I... uh... I wanted to tell you that I like you," he said awkwardly.

"Yeah...?"

"That's it," he concluded.

"That's it?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay," I said, still enchanted by him, shyness and all. He was very different than one would normally perceive after seeing his display of strength and violence.

"Also... I want you to know, I really hate violence."

"Hmm?"

"I don't like it. At all. I hate violence, and I think I'm too violent, and I kinda sometimes hate myself for it."

I hugged him, seeing that he was in need of a hug. It was strange how little I thought of other things when I was around Shizuo. I tried to think of other things when this thought came up, but nothing came to mind. I knew there was something else, but Shizuo had possessed my attention so that I couldn't think of anything else when he was around, even if I tried.

He blushed again, but did not push me away. "I really like you, Hinoko-chan," he repeated, this time with the "really" modifier. "It's not just because you're cute and you're friendly. You don't get scared of me. You just try to calm me down. There... aren't a whole lot of people like that," he told me, looking at the wall in front of him while my face nestled in his chest.

"You're really a gentleman, Shizu-chan, you don't try anything on me except an embrace," I joked, with some truth - actually, it was completely the truth. That was quite a gentlemanly thing to do.

"Hmph, it's because I actually like you. It's not like you're some whore off the street. If you're a lady, then I have to be a gentleman."

"I think it's because you're shy," I teased.

"I'm not shy, damn it! Have you _seen_ me at all?" he defended weakly.

"Yeah, you're shy around most girls," I continued. It was the truth, wasn't it? His face reddened.

"Well, I still like you more than most girls, and I'm shy around you too, so, uh..." he paused here, noticing his lack of precision in the details of his argument. "Damn it! Fuck! That is not funny! If you laugh, I will...!"

"I wanna lie down and go to sleep on you again, Shizu-chan..." I said sleepily, calming him down a bit.

"Hey, you're not supposed to do that! It's so early! How can you be falling asleep!"

"It's because Shizu-chan is Shizu-chan! Hehe... you know, I always knew you hated violence and being violent. I knew it since I first met you," I admitted, much more seriously. I had really always known. It was no surprise. Nobody is satisfied with who they are. Shizuo was violent, and it bothered him so much he started to get violent again, so I certainly got the feeling that he didn't particularly like being angry. Who really does?

"I love you, Hinoko-chan," he slipped out. What the hell?

**I hope you liked this chapter. And all the subtext about Crispin Freeman's voice. Well, I guess it isn't subtext anymore. Please review! (And I know it isn't really subtext if I talk about his voice, but I'm only hinting that it's actually just Crispin Freeman, so it still sort of counts, dammit!)**

**It took me longer than I thought it would take to finish this chapter. I guess I just wasn't through when I thought I was. Oh well, here you go. It ended up much longer than I had planned, but if it's still good, then that's perfectly fine.**


	11. Chapter 11

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 11

by MintyAlfalfa

It was rather shocking, to say the least. Maybe I was just imagining it. What?

"I love you, Hinoko-chan," he said just a moment ago. Was he messing with me? If he was, it wasn't particularly amusing.

"Hinoko-chan?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Please just say you love me, too," he pleaded.

"O-okay," I stuttered. "I love you, too," I said as emptily and with as straight a face as I could manage.

"It just slipped out... uh..." he trailed off for a moment. "I can't take it back now, can I?" he asked himself rhetorically.

"I really love you, though, Hinoko-chan," he told me resolutely.

I hated myself at that moment. I could never decide on anything completely. I was trying to force myself to fall in love with Shizuo so I wouldn't have to deal with the rest of my life. And I had failed. No matter how hard I tried, I didn't like Shizuo in a romantic was any more than I liked Izaya. I cared for him more, but I just didn't want to hurt his feelings, even though I subconsciously tried about as hard as I possibly could. Shizuo was so sweet, and gentlemanly, and troubled-yet-cute, I imagined it would be easy to fall for him completely, and I was just about to. But this changed my perspective. I couldn't blame Shizuo for having a big mouth, though. It was my own fault for trying to use him as a means of escape. When I realized this, I started to cry from my own self-pity. Stupid thing to do, I thought, but it only made me feel worse about myself.

"I'm so stupid!" I cried, falling to my knees. Everything was catching up to me and my wild imagination. I tried to think of someone to blame. Shinra and Celty told me that Shizuo would forgive me, no matter what, because he liked me so much. But it was my fault for thinking that he could help me out of any hole I dug myself into. I got carried away on every nudge in the right direction. The family, I thought, used me as a tool to get rid of Izaya, even though they knew it was aa suicide mission. But it was my fault for accepting it. I was already a part of the family when I killed that teenage punk - which I thoroughly regretted, even if it _was_ for my family's sake - and they might have forgiven me, since they had apparently lost so many others from the same task. I couldn't think of anyone to blame but myself, and that was because I was the only person _to_ blame. I thought of trying any way I could to make it up myself.

"I-I'm sorry, Shizu-chan!" I couldn't stop calling him that idiotic nickname ever since I heard it from Izaya. It didn't seem to matter at this point. I looked up at him from where I had fallen to my knees, and expected a glare of disgust, but Shizuo was disturbed by my actions and wore a concerned expression. I realized I hadn't told him what I had done that was so wrong, and clenched my teeth when he kissed me on the cheek, which I knew I didn't deserve.

"Ev-Everything! I don't love you, Shizu-chan! I tried to love you - because I-I thought you would save me, but it was dumb to expect you to save me! I-I'm almost sure Izaya knows all about me and the family now, and it's my fault for being so damn stupid! I'm so sorry, Shizu-chan! I'm sorry! Don't forgive me, I don't deserve it!" I sobbed into his shirt while he held me close.

"It's okay, Hinoko-chan."

"Why the fuck would you say that?" I almost sounded angry at him, but I couldn't think of anything else to say. I tended to curse a lot when I was in a negative emotional state and I was around people. I wanted to punish myself.

"It doesn't matter, Hinoko-chan," he said kindly. I didn't deserve this. I didn't deserve this, damn it! I noticed after a little while of bawling that he didn't get upset at all when I mentioned Izaya. Perhaps he was more controlling of his emotions than he let on.

"You... you can't... forgive me," I said, crushed by my own incessant tears. They wouldn't go away.

"I... I have to forgive you. I love you. True love," he said softly in my left ear.

"I-I'm never going to love you, though! Shizu-chan... I'm so sorry! That's why I'm sorry! Don't forgive this dumbass of a girl, you idiot! Don't touch me! It's all wrong!"

"I really want to be with you, Hinoko-chan. You can make it all up to me. It's okay... even if you don't love me now, you shouldn't say it'll never happen. You can't predict the future," he said hopefully.

"But, even so-" he interrupted me in the middle of my anti-defense.

"I don't want you to cry. You can make it all up to me if you stop crying."

"I can't stop crying," I said plainly.

"I'll make you do it," he said playfully, trying to coax out a laugh.

"I'll just... I'll just try, okay?" I told him. He nodded his head and let me go, after which I promptly fled from the scene.

I ran at top speed, which wasn't especially fast in my winter-suited miko uniform. After about fifty meters, I looked back. Shizuo hadn't followed me. It served me right. Jump me, any gang in the town. Stab me, kill me, anything. The town was completely deserted in every direction I looked, except for an ice cream vendor packing up for the night. Some gangland. I wanted to forget everything, at least. Just let me cleanse myself. The only shrine I could think of, though, was all the way back home. I tied my bandanna my usual way, covering my head like a pirate or a western gangster, or something. I wanted it to rain. But the night was completely clear; I could almost see some stars.

I strolled carelessly through the empty streets, hanging my head, not looking at anything but the cracks and dried gum and cigarette butts littered throughout the sidewalk. I didn't even notice when someone was approaching me.

"Hinoko-chan," said a familiar voice. Literally familiar. It was Keiichi.

"Ah, Keiichi-kun!"

"I saw you talking to that Shizuo Heiwajima guy."

"...!"

"I... don't know what you're worried about... I only saw you talking, I didn't really hear anything. But... you looked really... I don't know, emotional. Like, you just broke up with him or something. I didn't even know you two were involved."

"... I see," I said. "No, it's really not like that... I just, I - I had to apologize to him about something really important, and I just couldn't keep my cool. But actually, he was really nice about it. He's a nice guy. Too nice for his own good, I think."

"Hmm... Look, I get it that you like him and all, but really, Shizuo Heiwajima is an enemy. We don't associate with guys like him, okay? I'm not gonna say anything, but just watch your back around him. Some of us... some of us really hate that guy, and they won't like it if they catch you hanging around him. Really won't like it," he told me, failing to look into my eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Keiichi. I don't think I'll be talking to him anytime soon, anyway."

"Yeah... Please don't. Also, we want you to head back to the headquarters right now." I widened my eyes, but he eased me. "Relax, it's not like you're in trouble or anything."

There was really no way to refuse. By "we want you to", they mean "you're going to, or else". Still, it was my duty to at least take responsibility for my actions. That seemed sensible enough.

...

PART TWO

...

"Hinoko-chan!" greeted the family more warmly than I had expected. "We haven't seen you in a while," commented one faceless member. They were not lined up in their usual way, or in a mass like that one time, but scattered confusingly throughout the rooms. It was more spacious than I remembered. Then I realized that all the doors, which were normally sealed shut, were wide open, and everyone was spread out into the adjacent rooms.

I looked around for the leader. He was not present.

"Where is Mr. Hannanashi?" I asked Chiise, who was standing next to me, smoking a cigarette too close to me for comfort.

"Ah, that's why we asked you to come here," he began. "You see... he's not well."

All the people milling about gradually dropped their tasks and focused on my conversation with Chiise.

"Not well? How so?"

"He's been poisoned."

I gasped. "By who? Do we know?"

"No. But that's besides the point. He can't speak - it will only make his throat swell more - and if he dies, we don't know who will succeed him. He's almost completely paralyzed everywhere else, too. We can't even know what kind of poison it is while he's still alive. This... this is a rough time for the family, Miss Hinoko. You have to understand."

"What are we going to do? Chiise, aren't you most closely related to him? You're his half-brother, right?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I am his half-brother, but..."

"What? What is it? What prohibits you from taking over?"

"You. You're his real brother's daughter. But your father can't lead us. He isn't even a real member anymore. He refuses to collaborate with us. He sent you here to see if that was the life for you. He believes in free will, that man. He's a good person, a perfect leader if he weren't so stubborn. That is why it is a question of either you or I." He closed his eyes solemnly, and put out his cigarette after taking one last, dramatic drag.

"So, _me_? That's... that's completely ridiculous!"

There was whispering among the other family members. Some thought themselves as leaders worthier than me or Chiise.

"There is no question! I am the most experienced and loyal member of the family!" shouted one elderly man.

"Quiet, old man Koshiro!" Chiise lashed out. "You may be, but this is a matter of blood! In that respect, only Hinoko and I are equal. Whosoever was born with the name 'Hannanashi', come up to me and show me how I am wrong!"

No one moved an inch. Tension in the room settled all over us. It was a only a matter of time before someone yelled a stupid non-sequitur.

"Princess Hinoko, you are not fit to head this family!" someone exclaimed, right on cue.

"You idiot! Didn't you hear him? That's not how it works! It had to do with blood relations! Mr. Hannanashi didn't have any children, so it's up to either Hinoko-hime or Chii-chan!" Chiise's girlfriend, a recent initiate, explained in a loud whisper.

Chiise looked around the rooms, at all the family members focused on the big, awkward situation. He then looked back at me, and sighed.

"This is a matter that should be discussed later, in private, Miss Hinoko."

"I concede," I said seriously.

...

PART THREE

...

I once again found myself wandering around the streets, wondering what to do with myself. Everything was not as scary as I had imagined only a few hours ago. I thought again about last night, what had happened with Shizuo, and the succession crisis of the Hannanashi clan, and marveled at how distant it all felt. I thought of myself as just another character in these events, perceiving myself as a stranger rather than my own self, or even a friend. It occurred to me that I had not spoken to Izaya in a while.

_That's fine with me, _I thought. I didn't really care to be around him, anyway. It was too uncomfortable to be around such a person, I concluded, and it's unhealthy how influential he is on my thoughts and feelings.

But there I stood, right outside his apartment building. And it was cold and dark, in the early morning hours before the sun came up. Unfortunately, a side affect of this was that the door was locked, and there was no one to open it. I realized that this is why most people have cell phones, and I regretted knowing so little about technology at this point.

Suddenly, I heard soft footsteps.

"Miss Ritsu? What are you doing here? I thought you ran off, or you committed suicide or something," a feminine voice drawled. Ritsu turned around and recognized the speaker and her long, pitch-black hair. It was Namie Yagiri.

"I'll bet you're wondering what I'm doing here so late at night," she predicted before Ritsu could speak.

"Uh, yeah..."

"Izaya had me work overtime today. Told me about a lot of stuff he had on his mind. He didn't mention you at all, though. Just something about the yakuza families in this town. I wasn't even aware we had more than one." The silent girl almost cringed at the lack of recognition of the proud Hannanashi.

Ritsu chose not to speak.

"Hey... I think Izaya's in there. It's almost 3:00 in the morning, but from what I can imagine, he's still up there doing his damn research. I have keys; I can take you there if you want."

Ritsu paused for a bit to think. Did she want to go inside? Probably not. But since Namie came across her, there was no way she could avoid Izaya finding out about her presence sooner or later. There weren't any convincing lies that she could tell Namie to get her to keep it a secret. Besides, she wouldn't have kept it a secret anyway. Namie was friendly - or, at least, polite - to her, but she did not have Ritsu's complete trust. It only made sense to go inside, if Namie was willing to help her.

"Sure," she said resolutely.

"Alright. Hold on a moment." Namie fished for her keys in a large knapsack. She found them quickly and unlocked the door. "I don't really wanna go back in there, though. Do you know what room it is?" she asked. Her voice was sincere and amicable. Ritsu didn't know why she worked for someone like Izaya and kept the job even though she seemed to despise him and his questionable line of work. She seemed much rougher and harsher when Izaya was around, despite being his employee. It was really a wonder to her.

"Yeah, I know what room he's in," Ritsu responded softly.

"Okay. See you around," Namie dismissed.

"Goodbye."

She walked up the stairway rather than taking the elevator. Of course, it was the main stairway, not the rickety one, which she didn't want to remember. For a single moment, she had second thoughts about going into Izaya's room. But by the time she reached the conclusion to leave, she was standing at his doorstep and knocking on the door.

"Ahh... it's late! Who would come knocking at such an hour?" Izaya lazily swung the door open and eyed his guest.

"What do we have here?" he questioned sinisterly. His biting voice made her tremble; she had forgotten its power. Ritsu hadn't forgotten his face, though. Izaya's smug and villainous, but of course still handsome, face. She wanted to punch through it, but exercised some self-control, remembering that she shouldn't and most likely couldn't.

"Hi, Izaya-kun... Sorry, I haven't seen you in a while. But I promise I can make things up to you," she began.

"Oh? Not at all. It was almost like you were never even gone, Ritsu-chan."

**Hehe... so our story takes another turn! Just to warn you, this story has barely begun... yeah, it's going to be hellish for people who start reading it a lot later! Also, I am almost done reading the completed translations of the _Durarara!_ novels, and I may incorporate some other novel characters. Mostly, though, the novel characters won't be a huge part of the story since I'm kind of rushing through the books.**

**Please review! For every review you write, a child in need of love will receive one dollar... worth of happiness! (And that child would be me. I need your love...! TT_TT)**


	12. Chapter 12

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 12

by MintyAlfalfa

**Eh... I ought to be doing homework right now, but... eh. Enjoy!**

"C-Can I stay over with you, Izaya-kun?" Ritsu asked timidly.

"Sure you can! You're always welcome here," he said brightly. She wanted to scowl at his false hospitality, but was already too grateful that she had a place to stay at all. He beckoned her inside.

"So, do you want to go to sleep now?" he inquired, playfully resting his head on her shoulder.

"A-Ah... that's fine. I'll sleep now," she responded.

"Perfect," he whispered in her ear, despite there being almost no one to hear if he spoke normally. It was likely that whoever was next door was already asleep, being that it was in the small hours of the morning.

She breathed tensely, unable to speak. What, exactly, was with this guy? She looked at her feet shyly. He was definitely different from Shizuo. Izaya was much more up-front about his desire to do things to her. Or non-desire; he was probably just messing with her, but then again, maybe not. She couldn't tell, and this frustrated her to hell.

Holding her hand like she was a lost child, he walked her over to a small, cramped area behind his desk. There was a sleeping bag on the floor. Ritsu kneeled down on it, and Izaya followed.

"Wh-What are you doing?" She trembled, easily excited. He touched a warm hand on her neck and pecked her lips lightly.

"Good night, Ritsu-chan," he said with the voice of an angel. Or a devil, she couldn't be certain. But it was amazing - his voice compelled her to embrace him passionately.

"I-I..."

Izaya stripped her arms off of his torso, and stared at her, waiting for a response. Ritsu just sat there dumbly, hoping for it to go away. She had figured out Ritsu's personality for the most part, but how was she supposed to act in _this_ kind of situation? It frustrated her. Still, with Izaya staring at her so intently, she had to do _something_. This wasn't a battle of wits. She just had to do what he wanted her to do. The only catch was that she couldn't figure out what he wanted.

A reaction, probably. He just wanted her to do _something_. Information was his game, and that made him lenient when it came to expectations. He didn't care what she did, as long as it told him something about her. He wasn't trying to draw conclusions; he just wanted to see the truth as it was. And he was good at it. She_ almost_ went on and kissed him in a fit of hormonal recklessness. But that was just against everything she was trying to accomplish at that point, so she had the sense to at least not do that. However, she wasn't a decisive girl, and if she couldn't do that, she didn't know what to do.

She went with ignorance. "Ah, Izaya-kun, sorry. Let's... just go to sleep," she finally said.

"Fine with me," he whispered, closing his eyes along with a knowing smile. How...? What knowledge could he possibly have gained from that miniscule conversation? That she was indecisive? That, at least in her opinion, wasn't a very satisfying piece of information. Perhaps he was just lying. He was prone to that. He just lied with his facial expressions this time. Maybe, inside, he was just looking for another way to coax secrets from her. Sneaky little bastard. She saw what made the family want him dead. That, and his blatant disrespect for them. Ritsu began to hate the man who laid beside her. This emotion mixed with her romantic feelings for him, and made a little blend of that stuff that they pour into certain romantic comedies. And she did not like it one bit. At least everything turns out good in a romantic comedy. Otherwise, they'd have to call it a romantic tragedy.

He wrapped an arm around her, and nestled his chin on the back oft was rather uncomfortable, but he found it amusing. Just what part, Ritsu could not be certain, but she knew he was just having a ball.

...

PART TWO

...

It was the next morning. Ritsu woke up beside Izaya, quickly reminded of the events that occurred the night before. His arm was still tightly wrapped around her, though he had moved his head around a bit, except it was in the wrong direction - his chin dug even more into the back of her neck and even after she separated from him that spot was still sore.

"Hey, Izaya-kun... wake up!" she said pleasant-naturedly, ignoring the desire to slap him awake.

"Mmm..." He opened his eyes almost in an instant. "Hey. Good morning, Ritsu-chan," he mumbled lazily, though with the same smooth sweetness he had before.

"Good morning... but, it looks like it's already afternoon," Ritsu said with a smile.

"But there's always time for breakfast!" Izaya sang as he shot up from the sleeping bag, and sprinted into the kitchen. He seemed so tired just a moment ago - really, he was like a child.

"What are you making?" Ritsu asked. He pulled out several different ingredients. Bread, milk, cream, sugar, syrup, eggs, and others. "Continental breakfast?" she guessed. "Let me help you make it."

"Nope! You'll see! Oh, I'll make it myself. And no peeking!" He smiled a cute smile at her and went on about his preparations.

Feeling awkward because of her lack of energy compared to his, she sat down resignedly at a small coffee table, which she hadn't really noticed before - she had seen it, but until now had not noticed the strange objects that lay on it, stacked on top of each other. Playing cards, chess and go pieces, a backgammon board, and... matches? What was all this stuff?

She spent a while wondering what the hell they were for, but could not come up with any plausible-sounding explanation. Perhaps he liked to play with these while he explained his evil plots to Namie. But that sounded too weird and obviously villainous, even for him. Then again, there was no telling what actually went through the bastard's mind. While her mind wandered off, Izaya finished up the cooking rather quickly. Before Ritsu knew it was coming, Izaya brushed the pile of mystery aside and set down a steaming plate in front of her.

"French toast?" she asked dumbly.

"Yup! Does it look tasty?" She looked down at the plate. If it wasn't poison, then it must have been heaven on earth sitting in front of her, still hot and fresh from the griddle. It was steaming, though, so Ritsu decided to wait for it to cool off.

"It looks delicious. Th-Thanks so much, Izaya-kun... but it's too hot for me right now. I'll have it after it cools down a little."

"Sure, sure. Ritsu-chan, I'm really glad you're here again. I really missed you. I thought... you know, something happened to you. Do you always disappear like this? If that's right, then it's probably why your aunt seemed so hard on you..." he began, diving right into overly personal matters. Who did he think he was?

"N-No, it's nothing like that. It's funny you should mention my aunt, because something happened concerning her inheritance today... It's really tragic, but my cousin passed away a few days ago, and even though my aunt didn't want me to have her money, I'm my cousin's only living relative right now. He divorced his wife, and they never spoke to each other since. So, it's going to be interesting. My cousin apparently had some debts, though, and I... well, I don't know if I'll end up with much. Yeah, it's going to be really interesting, what happens to the money." She didn't know she had that in her. It was hard to believe how easily she came up with such a detailed, but believable lie.

"Hmm, that _is_ interesting. What do you plan to do if you end up with a good amount of money?" he asked curiously - in that peculiar way he had of being curious. It was more fox-like. He was asking with mischievous interest. He clasped his hands and almost giggled, but controlled himself. Not that it was impossible to tell he wanted to laugh maniacally.

Ritsu gathered her thoughts for a moment. "I want to start my own business - do you think I could pull something like that off, though, Izaya-kun. It really is a scary world out there. And it would be tough for a simple country girl like me, I guess. I don't know... Maybe that's just a silly dream." That was more heartfelt than she had expected. Perhaps it was half true - she _had_ wanted to own her own business someday. When she was in high school, it was all she dreamed of. But that was out of mind at the time. She hadn't thought about that kind of future since she left Kanmai's sleepy, peaceful hills. She had no plans to do anything in the city, and she was hasty in her departure of her hometown. Was it so bad that she wanted to get out of there so soon? At the time, it felt like it was, but upon looking back, she was sure she had found the root of all her problems with adjusting to life as a part of the family. Still, they were all she had by then, and they were all she'd have from then on.

"I think that's a wonderful dream. But it's one that involves a lot of hard work. Hey, Ritsu-chan, I never asked what kind of education you have." He pretended to be concerned with her personal aspirations. He wanted to know about what was happening in her life, not about a hopeless dream. He wanted something that had to do with who she knew. Then he could "investigate" those people, in a sense, and figure out more about who she really was. Because he didn't seem fully convinced of her innocence.

But maybe knowing that she had dreams at all was _something_. All she could ever do was guess, though, about him. He would never let her get close to him. He could touch her and make her feel as uncomfortable as he wanted her to, and try to get her to fall for him, but he could never fall for her. He didn't want anyone to love him, she thought, for that was what he perceived as a weakness. Yes, it became clearer to her what kind of person he was, if only by a little bit. He avoided getting close to someone by forcing himself to not really care, to always have an ulterior motive, because that was what was best for his well-being; that was what made him feels strong, because he was utilizing his natural strengths - cleverness, deception, and all that came with it - to his own advantage. And, in a way, it really did make him strong, just in a way that would traditionally be considered cowardly.

"I never went to college," she said shyly. At least that was the truth. It felt good to her, to speak true words after all those damned lies.

"I see. Well, having your own business is kind of far away, but I think with the right means you could make it. " He sounded very realistic then. It almost seemed like he was being sincere. Maybe he got tired of lying sometimes, too. "When are you gonna know how much money you'll be getting?" he asked.

"Pretty soon," she said softly. "Maybe in a couple days."

"Well, don't just disappear again. I want to be there with you," he said, with a friendly look in his eyes. It scared her how realistic it looked. It also made her blush. She felt that perhaps this was the true Izaya. Maybe, there was a sliver of a chance, that a wild hope could be fulfilled, that he really had fallen for her. Maybe, in her deepest dreams, it could really be true.

This was reality, though, and reality hurts. It sucks, she thought, that it's such a far-fetched thing for him to be in love. Did she feel sorry for him? After seeing what a bastard he was? Of course not. But there was a part of her, a large part, that wanted Izaya to be in love with her - most likely just _because_ it was such a fantasy. She got up, completely ignoring her French toast, and hugged him. She closed her eyes tightly as if waiting for a miracle. He returned her embrace with a silent smile, despite knowing Ritsu could not see it and get all red-faced again. The heat from her blush was subsiding from her face, and it felt soothing on his neck.

"Ritsu-chan, your breakfast is going to get cold."

"I-I don't care!" She kissed his neck, never opening her eyes the whole time.

**Wasn't that cute? ^_^ Yeah, this really isn't a Shizuo/OC story, there are just some important plot points that have to do with him. But I promise that wasn't the last you'll see of him! Just the last time he and Hinoko/Ritsu will be openly romantic with each other...**

**I procrastinated to hell on this chapter, it feels like. I don't know, maybe it's really my own impatience.**

**Please review! You must know that reviews are my life blood by now. Hehe... see you next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 13

by MintyAlfalfa

**Well, here's the next chapter of our fun, fun little fanfic. Review when you're done, please!**

It had been a while since she had seen Izaya, and it troubled her that she lost her cool so often now. It was easy to control herself before, but something had changed. It really irked her.

"Ritsu-chan, you're so lovey-dovey now! What's up with you? Are you in love, or something?" he asked, smiling that smile he wore all the time. It was both sickening and endearing - a familiar combination by now, she thought.

"I-I... Izaya-kun, I like you," she said, only half-lying. She remembered Shizuo and wondered how he was doing, and cursed herself in her mind for falling for Izaya and not him. She wondered if she had made Shizuo cry. It would have been strange to see someone as fierce as him crying with sadness (as opposed to sheer rage). He probably wouldn't have let her see if he ended up doing so, though. Men were always that way. When she thought about it, women were too, but usually to a lesser extent - they usually got embarrassed when they cried in front of others, but not as embarrassed as men get. She stopped thinking about Shizuo's make-believe tears, however, when the man in front of her kissed her cheek.

It surprised her that he did that. "I like you, too," he said, looking straight into her eyes. Of course, one couldn't believe a word he said most of the time, and it was difficult to tell whether he had looked into her eyes because he was telling the truth, or if he did so because he was lying and trying to make it convincing. Someone trained in that sort of thing could probably tell, but Ritsu wasn't and Izaya was a good liar from years of experience. So, the question remained open.

Still, she had to play the part, and she rested her head on his shoulders. He didn't seem to care much, but he did return the action. Somehow, it felt both natural and unnatural to be held in his arms. He kissed her on the cheek. She remained like this for a few moments, enjoying the daze he put her into.

"Ritsu-chan, we should probably have something to eat now. It's actually past lunchtime already." _He probably said it just to get me off of him_, she thought bitterly. _He probably doesn't like me at all_.

"Alright," she said tenderly. "Hey, Izaya-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Were you... telling the truth when you said you like me?" She was too curious. Perhaps it was a bit out of character, but she wondered if he would admit it.

"No," he said softly, looking down at his feet. "It was a lie, Ritsu-chan."

His actions did not match up with his words. This only confused her more. It was probably what he wanted. "Izaya-kun, do you like me at all? Even just as a person?" she asked, thinking this might solve the confusion, or at least ease the tension.

"Ritsu-chan, you're a really sweet girl. You amaze me, just in the way that you do things. I don't think we should be together, though." He spoke the words slowly and with great difficulty. Was this Izaya telling the truth?

"Wh-Why not, though?" she asked, alarmed, without thinking. This troubled her. She wondered if this was how Shizuo felt during that moment. Indeed, she felt like crying. But she didn't yet. If there was some hope, then maybe it would all be okay.

"I'm a liar, Ritsu-chan. I keep lying to you. I give up."

What was he talking about? There was absolutely no way this was happening.

"I don't even know you, Ritsu-chan. You have no record on the Internet, nothing. There aren't any files at that school you said you went to that concern you. I'm not even sure what your hometown is. You said you're from the country, but there aren't any country villages that have such little relevance that I can't find them! Who the hell are you, really, Ritsu-chan? There are people I have met. Yakuza people who keep information off of the Internet. None of them know who you are."

"Izaya-kun... My name isn't Ritsu... it's - it's...!"

The world was out of control. She could hear nothing but the sound of Izaya's voice and hers. It had to have been a dream.

And it was. Ritsu lay on the couch, covered in cold sweat, and when she awoke unpleasantly, Izaya was looking down at her pityingly.

"Ritsu-chan," he said softly and slowly, so as not to disturb me too much. "Are you okay?"

"I-I had a bad dream," she said, her voice shaking with discomfort.

"Yeah, it sounded like it. You were mumbling something, I don't know what it was. I'm not an expert on bad dreams, though, so I just let you dream it through and wake up."

"Oh... Yeah, I guess that's fine..." she said, trailing off and wondering about the dream. She remembered all the details so clearly - most dreams weren't like that.

"I don't think you're doing too well, Ritsu-chan. When I kissed you, your face was really hot, and you weren't blushing or anything. You looked really happy at first, but you passed out and started fidgeting and saying a bunch of weird stuff I couldn't understand... it kind of creeped me out, really." He fake-smiled. "Say, what was your dream about? ...Was it about me~?" he asked lecherously, still grinning his phony grin.

"Ah, kind of," she said, as his hopes sank slightly. "It was really weird. I don't remember much... you and me were talking, but I can't recall what it was about," she lied.

"I see," he said. "Well, why don't you have some breakfast?" he asked, starting up. So the French toast wasn't a dream.

He fed the French toast to her humiliatingly. He seemed to enjoy it.

"I can eat them myself, Izaya-kun," she said annoyedly. "It can't be helped," he argued. "You're sick! I can tell!" He reached out an arm and placed his hand on her cheek. "Burning up. You were like that earlier, too. It was probably from all the cold last night. Really. You're paler than a ghost, too," he added.

"Most people would put their hand on someone's forehead," she said quietly, glancing at Izaya and smiling her best troll smile.

"I can touch your face if I want to! It's not like you don't like it, right? Are you gonna sue me for sexual harassment, or something, Ritsu-chan? It would be different if it were somewhere else, but I'm just feeling if you have a fever!"

"You already knew I had a fever. I just wanted to eat my own French toast."

"So, you're going to sue me, Ritsu-chan?" He pretended to faint and fall back, clutching at his heart. "Uwaaaah~! I'm so fragile! I'm passing out! Right into Izaya-kun's arms~!" He hugged himself and turned backwards to imitate her embracing him. "Oh, Izaya-kun, I love you!"

"S-Stop it! That's- That's not even funny..." She started to laugh hysterically.

"I had to do it! Laughter is the best medicine, Ritsu-chan."

She fell to the floor, in stitches. Eventually, she collected herself, crying from laughter and also from the pain of falling off the couch onto a hard floor.

"Maybe you overdid it," Izaya said half-seriously. Though, not really. What a bastard. But that wasn't what she was thinking. Her gaze fell to him and realized that she had never expected to look into his eyes with such genuine glee.

He helped her up, the polite thing to do especially when a girl is sick, although Ritsu still didn't like it. "I can get up myself," she grumbled.

He kissed her again, this time on the lips. "You're going to get sick. Then who'll take care of us?"

"We'll take care of each other," he said with mock resolution. "Come on, I wanna feed your French toast to you. Then you can feed me, since we're both going to get sick."

...

PART TWO

...

"What are we going to do, Chiise-sama? What is going to happen? There is no way we can choose between you and the young princess," said one faceless member of the family.

"Of course, I an the obvious choice. But no one is going to care. The head of the family isn't always the strongest leader, and Hinoko-san would be an equal candidate on those grounds. It all depends on how much _she_ wants it, now. The title is grand. If she knows anything at all, she will go for it. I cannot figure out what to do," Chiise said frustratedly. "You have a light, Haneda?" He pulled out a cigarette and Hamada hastily lit it. He pushed up his sunglasses, which he wore indoors when not in the presence of superiors in the family - so all the time, now.

"That Awakusu-born bastard will certainly be raising hell about his girlfriend's rightful place as the head of the family," Hamada spat. "He doesn't belong in this family. He will never belong anywhere but a cold grave. Maybe with his girlfriend in it."

"Hamada, this kind of talk is unacceptable...! Behind their backs... why don't you say it to their face like a respectable man, Hamada?" Chiise snapped. Hamada did not speak.

"It is as I thought. Cease with your vulgar speak," Chiise commanded stridently. His sunglasses gleamed under the fluorescent light of the apartment's flickering bulb.

"I'm very sorry, sir. It won't happen again," he said. "But may I ask your opinion on the Awakusu boy?"

"He's alright as a family member. He is an asset as a hit-man. The boy's a good shot," he reasoned. "Honestly, Hamada, he's your brother-in-law. Have some dignity."

"That contemptuous girl who calls herself my wife is of no consequence to me. She hardly belongs to the family, and she holds no special place in my heart. She married me only to allow her waste of a brother into our grand family. I don't care if she lives or dies. I will never allow that whore to bear my children." He spoke freely this time, knowing he could because Akane had no real ties to the family. "Neither of us care for the other," he continued. "And it will be that way for as long as I draw breath."

"Hamada, if you wish to complain, do so outside of my earshot. I grow tired of your voice."

"As you wish, Chiise-sama." Hamada left the room and bowed deeply. As soon as he had left, Chiise took one last drag from his cigarette and put it out. He sighed.

"Hinoko-chan, I remember seeing you when you were the tiniest infant. You shook my hand so politely when you were a toddler, and I recall the pattern of the child's kimono you were wearing on those special days. I suppose time makes you forget, Hinoko-chan, especially when that was so early in your life. Still, I would have liked it had you remembered me."

He looked around, seeing no one. I didn't poke my head out of any corners to hear his little speech and make him burst with joy. There was no one in the hideout but him. He pulled off his sunglasses slowly and laid them at his side. "Hinoko-chan, how will I do this? I will always know you as a little girl, even if you have grown to be a full adult. Memories are haunting, Hinoko-chan."

He put the shades back on again and headed outside, happy that he hadn't lost his cool in front of anyone. Especially that ungrateful bastard Hamada.

...

"Chiise-kun, you really have it rough, don't you?" Chiise's girlfriend asked after he had told her the stories about Hinoko as a toddler. "My poor Chiise-kun..." The woman laid her head sideways onto his shoulder.

"Hey, get off," he barked, unhappy with the way she pitied him. "I'm not pitying you, Chiise-kun," she denied.

"Then what are you doing?" he asked angrily. "I'm in a foul mood, dear. I'll see you later when I've cooled off."

He left, but hid around the corner of the hallway outside the apartment, and watched as his woman called up a friend.

"Hey, how are you doing, girlfriend! (...) Yeah, Chiise's in one of his moods again. You know how he gets."

Chiise muffled a shout, but it wasn't muffled enough.

"Wh-What was that? (...) I heard something! A scream someone's trying to cover up!" She rounded the corner, crudely holding a switchblade in front of her and covering her own mouth as if expecting a monster. When she saw Chiise, she retracted the blade, put her hands on her hips, and sighed.

"One of my _moods_?" Chiise defended, trying to pin the blame on her.

"You scared me half to death, Chiise-kun!"

"S-Stop... calling me that..."

He pushed up his sunglasses and flared his nostrils. "Well, Yuuko, that will be all for now." Yuuko and the girl on the phone both started to laugh. Chiise pridefully strode out of the hallway and into the city where no one could tell how uncool he was.

**Eh? Eh? Is okay, da? I included some more Chiise, just to expand on an otherwise rather minor character. That was his day in the limelight. I think there'll be some more fun sketches with the yakuza OCs to come. ^^ But that depends on you, if someone reviews that they want more of that sort of thing, I'll readily do it.**

**Anyway, more will come soon! Please review! We have been sent on a mission from God, and that is to get a ton of reviews! (I have recently become a super-fan of Hellsing, so that explains that.)**


	14. Chapter 14

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 14

MintyAlfalfa

**I've been rather bad about updates recently, haven't I? I believe this is the two-month anniversary chapter, and I'm a whole week behind (as there ought to be 16 chapters if I update on a biweekly basis for two months, which is roughly 8 weeks, and I am only on the 14th chapter). But since I'm off school for winter break, I have way more time to write! Happy holidays! (There might be a Christmas chapter, so keep an eye out!)**

It was cold inside the room, right after the sun set. Izaya wasn't there; neither was his faithful assistant. Ritsu sat in the former's chair and sighed.

"What am I supposed to do, Lady Katsura?" she asked of the air surrounding her. No one answered.

"I-I'm falling in love with him! Am I really _that_ kind of idiot?" Once again, there was silence. "I guess I am," she said quietly.

She started to pray. She didn't pray much, despite being a shrine maiden and all, because she never really had much to worry about. Or, at least, she never thought her problems were troublesome enough for whoever's up there to care enough about to respond. She didn't want to bother them. That was what she liked to think, but in her heart she just thought that praying to an unseen god was a foolish thing to do. Out of all the cleansing rituals she performed, she hardly ever thought they'd do anything but get rid of body odor.

While she prayed, she thought of Izaya once again. It was hard for her not to think of him warmly. Before, it was hard for her not to despise him. She liked it better then. At least she didn't feel guilty the day she met him and thought, "This guy is such a sack of turds."

She didn't feel guilty. It was the life, she thought, to not have to feel guilty. But she had to feel guilty now. For killing that man to be a real part of the yakuza. It's just one man. One man who has nothing, she thought at the time. But he didn't have nothing. She didn't know if he had family or friends or lovers, but if he had enough emotion to not want to die, then he must have had_ something_ to live for. But she cut it off, whatever it was that he loved or that loved him, and that thing or person turned into Ritsu's guilt. Guilt came in many forms. She later started to feel guilt just from being a part of the yakuza. She couldn't help it, right? She was born into the family, after all. But it didn't seem like they'd do anything to her if she didn't join. They gave her the option to turn her back on the family's seedy business, but she accepted it with open arms. It was once again all her own fault.

"I gotta stop thinking about stuff like that," she said to herself. "Isn't that what depressed people do?"

"Lady Katsura, where did you even go? I miss you, and my family, too." She thought of her parents - they probably thought she was living large as the successor to the family by now - and her siblings, Minami (her younger sister) and Warren (her older brother). Warren's name was an English pun - it had something to do with the words "war" and "wren". Most people read his name as Senshoryo, and then started laughing. But Minami hated her normal name and was envious of Hinoko and Warren. Ritsu imagined her family together again, and quietly cried.

Just then, at the worst possible moment, someone burst into the room. That person happened to be Izaya Orihara.

"Hey, are you feeling any better, Ritsu-chan? ...Ritsu-chan?"

He scanned the room for her and found a figure curled up in his chair. "Ritsu-chan, how are you?" he asked with a convincing concerned voice. He dashed to her and knelt down beside her. "Ritsu-chan, what happened? Are you alright?"

"Izaya-kun, I'm sorry you have to see me like this," she said slowly, her voice trembling.

"Why are you crying?" he asserted.

"I-I... well, I... want to see my family," she said. "I really miss them." She went with the truth. It was vague enough to say.

"Oh, Ritsu-chan!" Unfortunately, she forgot at that moment that to Izaya's knowledge, her whole family was dead. "It'll be okay! You still have me! Hmm, I didn't know you were still bothered about that. You always seem kind of cheery, you know? Ritsu-chan..."

"Ah, Izaya-kun, it's okay now," she said delicately.

He touched her forehead. "You're still running a fever, though. Come on, lie down on the couch instead."

He walked her over to the couch and sat her down. She laid down, and Izaya followed. "Kinda uncomfortable, huh?" he pondered. He rolled off the side of the couch and hopped up. "Did you have dinner, Ritsu-chan?"

"I'm not that hungry," she responded.

"Doesn't matter if you're hungry. You need nutrition when you're sick! I have special ramen noodles~!"

She thought about this man that she was falling for. She thought about the dream she had the day before... or rather, earlier that day. It seemed strange to her that he had not yet realized who she was. Or, perhaps, she thought, he _had_ already realized it, but felt like messing with her head as he was wont to do. But she was ill; she couldn't go anywhere, not even tell the family what happened. She did like how Izaya took care of her, but at the same time she hated it for fear she'd start to _really_ love him.

"Thanks for the food," she muttered as Izaya set down the foam cup of instant ramen. They didn't look very special to her.

"Ritsu-chan, do you know how to play chess?" he suddenly asked.

"Not at all," Ritsu answered, surprised. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I happen to be very fond of those types of games."

"Huh. They just never interested me."

"Mind if I teach you?"

"I... I'd get germs all over your chess pieces... Besides, I'd really rather not. Chess and those types of games aren't really appealing to me. They never have been."

"Shame," Izaya said, disappointed. Then he brightened. "Still, we could play cards. I bet you like card games," he compromised.

"Uh... but won't I get germs on the cards, too?" She was hesitant to get into any kind of mind game with Izaya. As fun as it would be to beat his sorry ass, she didn't think it was a good idea.

"Oh, we'll have Namie wash them. Come on, it'll be fun!" He got up and went into another room, and promptly returned with a fresh new deck of casino-quality playing cards. She wondered if he kept those around in large quantities as he did with his faux fur jackets.

"What would you like to play? Blackjack? Gin? Poker? Hearts? Bridge?" he inquired enthusiastically

"Don't you need four people to play those last few?"

"Oh, whatever. I'll pick. We'll play blackjack."

"Sounds good." It didn't seem to challenging to play blackjack with Izaya. She would have guessed he would choose the hardest game to play (especially with only two people) rather than one that involved more luck than the others. Still, she sat up as Izaya dealt the cards.

"Beautiful game, blackjack," he drawled boredly.

"Mmm-hmm," Ritsu agreed, not really paying attention. Her first card was an ace.

"I find it quite simple to play," he continued. His first card was an ace.

"Is that so?" she absentmindedly responded. He dealt Ritsu's next card. She took a peek. Another ace? She furrowed her brow.

"Yes, it can actually be quite boring sometimes," he said slowly as he dealt the last card to himself. He took a look at his card. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "And I believe we forgot to shuffle this deck." He held up his cards. It was two aces - spade and heart, the same as Ritsu's - club and diamond.

"Oh, great," Ritsu said slyly. "I was wondering when you'd notice."

"I don't think you noticed, either, Ritsu-chan. I bet you only figured it out as soon as you saw your second card! So it was only as soon as I found out!" Izaya mock-bursted out, pointing an accusatory finger.

"Okay, okay, you caught me," Ritsu admitted.

The two laughed together for a moment.

...

PART TWO

...

"So, what's in it for me?" a surly young man asked of the young-looking woman.

"None of the information concerning you will be leaked," she answered firmly.

"Oh, yeah?" the brute snapped. "What kind of information we talkin' about, lady? I ain't done nothin' wrong. You with the cops or something?"

"Relax, I'm not going to tell the police anything - not directly, anyway - I'm talking about that couple you robbed and murdered a few days ago behind that train station."

"Wh-What? How... how can you know about that? I cleaned up every drop of blood, every fingerprint! There's no way- !"

"I have my sources, Mr. Nenjou. But if you perform the task I asked you to, none of that information will pass my lips."

"Who the hell are you, anyway, bitch? Who're you working for? I know you couldn't have found that out without any help. There wasn't any witnesses, nothin'."

"Listen, it doesn't _matter_ who I am or who I work for. I have the information, and I'm willing to sell it to anyone if you fail to do what I told you. And if you finish the job, and finish it right, I won't hassle you about this any more," she reasoned. Foolishly, he thought she was getting soft.

"Sure, yeah, but how am I supposed to trust you, eh?"

She sighed and pulled out a handgun, and held it to the criminal's forehead. "We can do this one of two ways, friend. You can do what I tell you and you don't get sent to jail, or you can get your head blown off. Either way, no one gets sent to jail. Not even me. I'll bet you don't have too many friends."

She cocked the gun and played with the trigger. "Well?"

"F-Fine! I'll give him the note! I don't care what's in it! I'll give 'im the note! I ain't lookin' for no trouble..."

"Thank you," she said, taking the gun away from his head. _You were looking for trouble when you killed that couple,_ the young woman thought.

"Suck it, bitch!" yelled the young brute as he tried to escape the large, empty warehouse where they had been conversing. But the lack of scenery made him an easy target. She shot the delinquent in the head. She searched his corpse, but he didn't even have the note she was looking for. What a sorry bastard. He didn't have anything of value, either.

"I'm so sorry, Seiji. I wasn't able to get what you wanted. I'll get that lousy girl off your back as soon as I can, okay? But I guess I have to deal with Izaya first." She pondered her situation. "God... five years is too long for that kind of job. I guess things have gotten more exciting, but this... isn't how I pictured things," the woman said to herself.

She took a long walk to Izaya's apartment/office. It was rather far from the abandoned warehouse she was at, and she considered paying her brother a visit, but she didn't, knowing that his hateful mistress - who he liked to call his "girlfriend" - would be about, and that was always trouble. She didn't know what it was about the whore that made him so attracted to her. He had been in love with that head since he had found it, but how could he possibly still love it with that incessantly annoying girl inside it? It intrigued her.

She eventually made it to her employer's sketchy apartment. When she got there, it was around midnight and Izaya's girlfriend was already asleep. But he wasn't.

"Namie-chan! How did it go?" he asked, seeming to think that she had not and never would realize that she knew he wasn't really being pleasant.

"Not good. He tried to run off. He didn't even have the note."

"That's too bad. Did you manage to stop him in his tracks?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah. He's dead. Got rid of the body," she said with finality.

"Well, I guess it's not a total loss. Would've suited him better to rot in jail, though. I guess no harm's done."

"Ah, Izaya, I have something to ask!" Namie said as he began to show her the door.

"What is it, Namie-chan? Try to be quiet, you'll wake her," he said.

"Did... um... Did Nenjou have any friends or family? Anyone who might've cared if he was dead or alive?" she inquired, stuttering.

"Hmm... Namie-chan, you've never been one to care about the personal lives of your associates. I don't think this is the first time you've had to put a man down for the good of our little business." He smiled darkly. "Was it something about this guy that caught your eye, or made you hesitate?"

"No, he was just your run-of-the-mill street thug. Kind of a young guy, I guess. But I was just curious." Namie knew to keep her cool when Izaya asked questions. She knew he was smarter than her, and she didn't want to give him the benefit.

"Interesting. Well, I _guess_ I'll tell you," he said, sighing. "His only relative was his little brother, another street kid who was killed by some yakuza grunt."

"Awakusu-kai?" Namie asked absently, wondering who might have done it.

"No... I believe it was some small-time family... called... something like... Hannanashi, that's it. I almost forgot they existed. Hmm. Wonder how they've been scraping along. I think I heard about a succession crisis. They must be old-school, not like the Awakusu clan. I hear they've made some mutual friends and some mutual enemies... Oh, and I'm rambling. Namie, go home. I want to look into this myself, if you don't mind."

"Uh... sure. I was going to get home anyway. See you tomorrow... you piece of shit." That last statement she muttered under her breath. She exited the room and gently closed the door so as not to wake up her sort-of friend, instead of slamming it - which probably would have made Izaya more amused than angry, anyway. She walked home through the snow. She remembered the days when her uncle's men would have never let her outside in such weather without an escort, and sighed. Perhaps if the Nebula corporation had never bought out Yagiri Pharmaceuticals, she might have never met... Ritsu, a person she hardly knew but seemed friendly. She was grateful for that but, there was really nothing that made her life worthwhile outside of Seiji, in her opinion.

...

PART THREE

...

"So, what's four-eyes over here owe us?" a deep voice asked of his reasonable-looking partner.

"70,000 yen," he said, closing his eyes and face-palming. "And hey, I have glasses, too, Shizuo."

"Sh-Sh-Shizuo? Heiwajima?" the young man asked in disbelief, trembling more with every word he spoke. "Uh... the Hannanashi family can pay back whatever I owe you, is that alright?"

"Hannanashi? That name's kinda familiar," Shizuo said, scratching his head and looking at the ceiling quizzically.

"Shizuo... that's Hinoko's name. And the guy who said to collect the debt from this guy, his name was Hannanashi, too," Tom reminded.

"H-Hamada! That sonuva-"

"Listen, punk! I'm starting to _really _hate the Hannanashi family." Shizuo began. "I'm starting to question the... morality of its members. Is that how you say it, Tom?" Tom nodded. "First there's this Hinoko girl who I really don't get, and then there's this seedy-looking Hamada jerk. And you? You're a goddamn coward."

"Well, Shizuo, I don't think it's fair to call him a coward just because he's afraid of you-" Tom was interrupted as Shizuo picked up a nearby writing desk. "Here we go again..." he said quietly.

"_You're really pissing me off, buddy_!" Shizuo yelled at the unsuspecting young man.

"W-Wait! You said something about Hinoko Hannanashi?"

"I'm done with her, okay? If she wants to avoid me - well, she can do whatever she wants! But you're about to get it, Mr. Keiichi Hannanashi!" Shizuo seethed. He wasn't in the mood to talk about Hinoko. She confused him, and the only thing on his mind at this point was beating the shit out of Keiichi Hannanashi.

**Yay! It's finally done! I procrastinated for almost three days on this chapter (the other four I worked diligently on it, you know), but it's finally here. Please review! Like I said, it's winter break and I plan to get out at least four more chapters by next year, since I have so much free time without school. Yesterday I spent most of the day playing video games, if you'd really like to know, so it wasn't really procrastinating... I guess. **

**Also, thank you to Izaya-Pikku-chan for your loyalty to this fic! It is really appreciated. ^_^ In fact, thanks to all of my fans. It's nice to know that there are plenty of people who appreciate my work.**

**...Whoa, I hope that didn't sound like a farewell, because it's not. My guess is still that this story will end around 30 chapters.**

**Kudos to whoever remembered that Keiichi has glasses and used only that tiny shred of a hint to figure out who that guy in Part Three was. I have some drawings of him and may post them on my DeviantART page... someday... but it you're interested, the URL is on my profile.**


	15. Christmas Special

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 15: Christmas Special!

by MintyPoinsettia

**Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Non-Denominational Winter Holiday!**

**From your friend/enemy/random author, MintyAlfalfa (who shall presently be called MintyPoinsettia)**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter. Please remember to review! (Even if it is just to say something like "Merry Christmas")**

The next morning, she realized, would be Christmas. She glanced to her side, at Izaya's nondescript coffee table (which he rarely seemed to drink coffee at) and sighed.

She looked at the clock. It read 12:30 A.M. Izaya was sleeping on the floor beside her.

"Merry Christmas, Izaya-kun," she said heavily. She got up and slipped out the door. Izaya rolled over in his makeshift bed and smiled in his sleep, as she took another peek from behind the door and said goodbye silently.

"Merry Christmas, Ritsu," he said, not opening his eyes.

...

PART TWO

...

"Hinoko! Thank God you're safe!" The tall man took off his sunglasses to reveal teary eyes. Yuuko sighed behind him.

"Why can't I have a real man?" she teased. "Yuuko-chan, I'm having an emotional moment! This girl is like a daughter to me!"

"Does that make me the Virgin Mary?" Yuuko snarked.

"You just don't have any Christmas spirit, Yuuko-chan!"

"H-Hinoko-chan, I got you a present," Keiichi said shyly, handing me a carefully-wrapped small box. He ws dressed in a bulky-looking sweater and as knew knitted scarf, fresh from the Awakusu clan's Christmas party.

"Thank you, Keiichi-kun!" I said, smiling as warmly as I could at him.

In the distant reaches of our apartment/hideout, I saw a familiar face, and recognized his deep voice easily.

"Huh, I guess yakuza families have Christmas parties, too." It was Shizuo, with Tom walking beside him in style. Shizuo was smoking a cigarette, which normally was only allowed for direct members of the family, but no one really felt like fucking with Shizuo Heiwajima.

"Shizuo's here?" I asked blankly. My eyes widened as I looked at him, towering over everyone else and trying to be subtle about it.

"Y-Yeah," Keiichi stuttered, trying to hide his black eye.

"Keiichi, what happened to your eye?" I asked, concerned. "It doesn't look so good."

"Ah - It's nothing. Just got into a little tussle, you know?" he said, trying to shake it off.

"Hahaha. Who says "tussle" anymore? And I really wouldn't have called that a fight," a voice sneered. I could see his ugly face standing behind Keiichi. When I saw him, it reminded me of the kind of hatred I felt when I first met Izaya.

"Hamada. What are you doing?" Keiichi didn't turn around. He closed his eyes in frustration. Chiise, long since having put his sunglasses and stoic expression back on, was slightly more confrontational.

"I know you hate your wife, Hamada, but Keiichi? He's a valuable member of this family, unlike you. Please leave. I do not wish to see you at the moment." Chiise was like a male tsundere. The kuudere kind, who only expresses his emotions around certain people at certain times. His hair was always rather expressive of this, getting messier and generally sillier when he revealed his emotions.

"Ch-Ch-Chiise-sama! Pardon me! I've been quite rash!" Hamada immediately wiped the grin off of his face. He wasn't very good-looking at all and, on second thought, did not remind me of Izaya even in the slightest.

I slinked away to escape the tension. However, more tension caught up with me. I ran straight into Shizuo's chest.

"Hinoko-chan?" He looked down at me in disbelief.

"Shizuo?" I looked up at him with a similar expression.

"Mm, okay, Shizuo, I'll leave you alone with her," Tom said nonchalantly. He ran off to get a drink.

"Hinoko-chan... uh... I..." Shizuo stammered. He shifted his gaze to the ceiling. "H-Hey, is there something leaking?" he mumbled, trying to get out of any conversation they were about to have.

"Shizu-chan," I began, playing with my fingers nervously, "Do you... do you want to talk to me right now?"

"W-Well, I... I..." He sniffed loudly. "What is that smell...? That damn smell again! What the fuck is it? I'm gonna go nuts!" He clenched his left hand into a fist, crushing his half-smoked cigarette.

"Graaaaaagghhhhh!"

The room became suddenly silent and the crowd gathered around, facing us, as though there were a spotlight on Shizuo's rapidly building anger.

"Shizu-chan, you're okay..." I started, trying to calm him down with his pet name. I had forgotten at the time that the name originated with Izaya.

Infinitely fast (and painful), Shizuo swung his fist in my general direction. I didn't even fall when he hit me - he must have been trying to hold back, but no one could tell but me. "Hinoko-san!" Keiichi suddenly yelled, bursting forth from the crowd with an apelike tread. He dumbly got in front of me, in Shizuo's line of fire, and was promptly forced to the ground. I ran. As fast as I could. Shizuo was a pretty fast runner because of his strength, but in the end, I outran him. It was a miracle, I thought.

"Hinoko-chan!" he screamed from about 50 meters away. I could still hear him quite clearly. "I'm sorry!"

"No, I'm sorry!" I yelled, closing my eyes as though that would help me carry my voice.

"Whaaat?" I was unsuccessful. At least he could tell I was talking to him. I ran all the way back, through a crowded street of Santa-hat-donning carolers and quiet, lovey couples. I slowed down to appreciate it all. Shizuo was running my way as well.

"What did you say?" he asked in a normal voice. Time seemed to stop as we conversed on the bustling street corner. We were quite far from the hideout at this point - 6 or 7 blocks. I run far when I'm scared.

"I said, I'm sorry too," I responded delicately, my cheeks redder than Keiichi's blood on Shizuo's fists.

"I guess... we should head back to the party," he said softly. He held my hand, his face turning a bright shade of pink.

We walked slowly - so slowly that the party was just about over when we arrived at the apartment. Chiise stood there, his sunglasses still in place.

"Hinoko - you all right?" he asked coolly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll see you, Chiise."

Shizuo kissed my cheek after we all said our goodbyes.

"Shizuo... I still don't want to be with you."

"Yeah, I know."

"But I think you're awesome. You're really amazing, I mean! You've got it all! You're really sweet and nice and sensitive, but you've got this whole other violent side! It's really fascinating! There's no way there aren't any girls out there for you! And, even if there aren't, you've got plenty of friends. There's Shinra and Celty and Tom, and there's me! We love you. I love you! Ha-Have a nice Christmas, Shizu-chan." I didn't know where that speech came from. It just came out of me, out of my heart.

He took my other hand, having never let go of the first one, and brought me close to him. "Thank you," he said in a voice I had never heard him use before.

...

PART THREE

...

"Namie-chan, I have a present for you!"

The tall woman groaned. "What is it, Izaya?"

"Open it!" He handed her a bright pink gift box. She took it from him hesitantly and tore off the paper.

"It's - It's...!" She hugged Izaya. "Thank you!"

She held in her hands a doll crafted in the likeness of Seiji Yagiri, with his sullen expression at all. In the doll's hand was a small decapitated head, with its tongue sticking out and x's for eyes to show that it was dead. All it needed was a little speech bubble saying, "I love you, onee-san!"

"I made it myself, just for my favorite secretary," he said proudly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get you anything, Izaya! But this is amazing! Thank you!" She sat in her desk chair to work on Christmas day, and patted the doll's soft, spiky brown head.

**Wheee! Some pairings here that aren't really what the rest of the story is about! Merry Christmas! **

**(I lied! I guess there still was some Hinoko X Shizuo love to be written. But they really aren't the focus of the story. It's just that I love Shizuo as much as I love Izaya, even though Ritsu/Hinoko doesn't.)**

**Next chapter comes out soon! Remember, reviews sustain my life (and Christmas cheer - I'll be a scrooge if I have no reviews)!**


	16. Chapter 16

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 16

by MintyAlfalfa

**Time to answer some questions~! **

**I always write with the end in mind and try not to deviate from any rules I have set for myself. However, I leave everything else to develop itself; I'm not so great a writer that I can perfectly balance entertaining individual passages and a well-structured plot.**

**In this story, I do switch from third person when Ritsu is featured and first person where Hinoko is narrating. This can get a little confusing at times when both of them are active - that is to say, when Hinoko/Ritsu is conflicting with herself, her own personality against the false one. I don't do this with all of my stories, though.**

**Recently I've been updating less. This is mostly because I am addicted to Assassin's Creed II. Once I beat the game, I will surely update more often (unless I go through with my wild idea for an AC2 fanfic). Also, since the DRRR! anime has completed its run on Adult Swim and I've (sort of) read all the novels (it's a long, strange story of how that came to happen), I'm dying to get new material for inspiration. But I think it's just me being distracted and subsequently getting writer's block.**

**tl;dr Sorry for not updating as much as I (stupidly) promised. I have been diagnosed with severe writer's block.**

**I think that's the longest author's note I've ever written! Now, on with the story.**

The next morning was hectic. I wanted to stay over, maybe to get my mind off of Izaya, so I asked Chiise if I could, and he hesitantly agreed. Yuuko laughed every time he interacted with me. Perhaps she liked to see his soft side, having only seen his tough persona before. I didn't know if that was it exactly, but it seemed to be that.

No one was inside the apartment when I woke up. Chiise was nowhere to be found. It was fairly late into the morning, around 10:30. Damn, I couldn't get breakfast at a fast food restaurant after this. I tried to joke around, but I was actually quite scared.

I always hated being completely alone. It gave me the feeling that I was the last person on the earth. It was a stupid, irrational fear, but a particularly persistent one. I hadn't felt this scared since I fell out of the apartment window some weeks ago. This gave me a thought, a quick remedy to the numbing fear. I peered out the window, and I saw hundreds of people walking the streets below me. I was only alone within the apartment; hell, just that section of the apartment building. I hadn't really seen any of the rooms outside of the ones that was part of the hideout - it seemed strange to me, since we were so "friendly" with the landlords.

When I left the hideout in relief, something caught my eye in the lobby. The usual guy who was sitting on the dusty old chair in the corner, smoking a fake cigarette and pretending to read the paper - our lookout, that is - wasn't there. Instead, there was a familiar-looking young man with a glazed expression, staring endlessly at his cheap-looking watch. It was the first time I'd taken a really good look at old Taro Kobayashi. He had long hair, about the same length as mine, maybe shorter, which was a little above the shoulders, and thin, straight eyebrows that seemed to be both bored and smirking at the same time. His eyes didn't suggest that he was fully Japanese; he was at least in part because of his nose and mouth, though. His skin wasn't especially fair or dark. He emanated "ordinary guy" vibes, but I knew who he was instantly just because he was so damn ordinary. He glanced at me and tried to hide it, but he was simply beckoning for me to call him.

"If it isn't Kobayashi Taro!" I greeted.

"Hmm? Sorry, my name's Taro Emiya, miss."

I thought of all the references he made to fictional names when I first met him and he tried to give me an alias. In fact, he was probably _still_ using an alias - "Taro Kobayashi" was much, much too ordinary, and right after he gave me a bunch of other aliases. "Taro Emiya-Hellsing da Firenze?" I asked knowingly.

"Actually, you can call me Kyou Kagata. That's my real name, no lie," he said, holding out his hand for me to shake. I shook it.

"Haven't seen you in a while, Hinoko Hannanashi. Would you care to talk with me for a while? I've got a while to pass time over before your family'll give me a lunch break."

"So you're working for my family now? How did you get through Chiise?"

"Slipped in that you were a good friend of mine to him. The pay's lousy, but I need to work two jobs to keep my baby brother kickin'. And I don't mean that in the metaphorical sense - he's really a little baby, not even one yet. Oh yeah, I'm still workin' for Tom's party. I guess I'm kinda two-timin' them since Shizuo doesn't know, and I'm not sure how badly he wants me to be chatting it up with his ex-girlfriend... of sorts."

"Ta- er, Kyou... How do I say this...? Umm... Your country accent's _really_ bad," I told him, not knowing any way to slice it other than straight through and top to bottom.

"Oh, I forgot you're from the country! Your accent's really disappearing, Hinoko! You're really gettin' institutionalized, huh? Heh, I guess I was just trying to tick you off, when I made fun of your accent all the way back then. Ah, what am I talking about? That was only a couple weeks ago! Haha! But I have to keep role-playing; I'm a method actor, y'understand? Sorry if I'm offendin' you a bit, but that's how things go."

"No, no, I'm not offended... just... amused. It sounds kind of silly to me."

"Then you should laugh it up! Come on, I want to laugh with someone, it's been a long half of a day!"

"Hehe. So, Taro-"

"It's Kyou," he reminded.

"Right. Do you know much about Shizuo? Are you... really good friends with him?" I asked. I certainly was dying to know.

"Heh, I've seen him every day of my life for three years, and I can't say I know him any more than I know you, Miss Hinoko," he answered. "I know he's kind of a wild guy from stuff off the street and on the internet, but I haven't seen much of him except a few dirty looks. But boy, were those some dirty looks he could give you."

"Huh."

"But I do know quite a lot about Izaya Orihara," he added slyly.

I tried not to react too much. "Do you? Hmm, that's interesting," I said casually. Well, as casually as I could while being overwhelmed by curiosity.

"I think of you as my friend, Hinoko. That's why I want to warn you about Izaya. He's an info broker, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, do you really trust him?"

"No."

"Do you think you're in love with him?"

I didn't know how to answer. I started to say yes, but almost immediately remembered the connotations of that. I didn't want to keep being an idiot. I didn't want my decisions to hurt anyone. Especially myself.

"I don't really know," I said. It made me sound like an idiot, but not as much as if I had said yes - but I couldn't say no. Of course, I'd lied a million times before, but I couldn't lie about this. Something inside me kept me from making the obvious choice.

"I see. You're... conflicted about him?" he inquired.

"Well..."

"The same way you're conflicted about yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"You want to be yourself. But you want to be Ritsu, too."

"And how would you know anything about how I feel?" I questioned. He was getting way too smart now.

"Don't kid yourself. You know I'm right. Don't you?" He glared at me, with an expression that showed how he had me all figured out.

"L-Listen, Kyou? You wanna have this conversation some other time? I-I think we should have it some other time," I mumbled. I didn't know what else to say other than buy myself time to figure things out.

"Y'know, that's fine, Hinoko-san. Whatever you want. Izaya's back where he normally is."

Disappointed, he muttered something I couldn't hear - though it was most assuredly something about his disappointment - and told me to move along; that I had no business here, the same way he would have responded to any random person loitering in the lobby for no apparent reason, as was his job.

"Wait. Kyou, I have a question."

"What is it?" he asked impatiently.

"How much do you know about Izaya?"

"...A lot."

"How do you know?"

"I have... a relative... who talks to him quite a bit," he said nervously, slipping out of his false country accent.

"Alright then," I said absently, wondering who his "relative" might be.

"Oh... by the way, Hinoko... Chiise and the rest of the family are out having a meeting. You aren't supposed to be there." He paused. "Don't tell them I told you that. You-You were supposed to have been drugged so you would sleep longer, but apparently... i-it didn't work. I don't know. I've already said too much."

I thanked him for the notice and walked out the door, admiring the large number of people who surrounded me. It was nice, I thought to myself, to have so many people around. Not every one of them are ones you can trust, but often, an ordinary person is all it takes. At least, I liked to think about things that way. It wasn't really true; I experienced the helpfulness of ordinary people firsthand when I was forced to jump from the apartment window. But that was still how I thought.

My mind drifted back to Kyou... Taro... Ezio... Shirou... again. He became so shaken as soon as I asked him why he apparently knows so much about Izaya. I doubted that he was telling the truth at all, really, but I felt compelled to believe him. I didn't know why I felt compelled - after all, there was no reason for me to trust him other than that he was currently on my family's payroll. He had never even been truthful to me about his real name. Kyou Kagata. Taro Kobayashi. Hiroyuki Asame. It was pointless to try and figure out who he really was. I realized that he was probably just paranoid about giving away his personal information - like Izaya, though it was expressed differently in him. Still, making it known that he didn't trust anyone wasn't going to make anyone trust him. My guess was that I'm just so naive that I trust everything anyone says as long as it has some realistic aspects to it.

I stopped letting my mind wander. My focus was to return to Izaya's apartment now. I told myself that it was really just part of my duty as a member of the family, though I probably only wanted to go back because I missed him. The thought was bittersweet. I couldn't help but like him. Only a few weeks ago, I would have laughed at the concept of having feelings for someone like Izaya - someone I hardly knew, who I could never trust, who had an obvious ulterior motive for every word he spoke. I would have cringed at the notion of having a petty schoolgirl-like crush on him. Well, perhaps that wasn't the best way to describe it. It was more like an intense fascination, which drives an innate lust for both knowledge and love. Same thing, really.

It was a long way to the train station, but I walked the whole way. It was good to get some exercise in the morning.

When I arrived in Shinjuku, I saw that Izaya was in the train station. I wanted to call him, but he was probably doing something that Ritsu shouldn't be concerned about. I chose to walk along.

But suddenly, I turned around and called him. Out of curiosity. How would he explain himself?

"Izaya-kun!"

I waved at him. Surprised, he turned around. I fell in love with his surprised expression, though it only appeared for a moment, what with Izaya being Izaya.

"Ritsu-chan! Hey, I haven't seem you in a while! So, how did it go?"

I almost forgot what he was talking about.

"Not good. After all the debts and assets were sorted out, my inheritance from him came out to be a little more than 1,000 yen."

"A shame. Well... then, can dinner be on you tonight, then?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Izaya-kun! I had dinner with some old school friends last night. Akane, and some other friends. I used that money then. I didn't think it was a big deal... after all, it was only enough for dinner at a cheap diner."

"I see. That's fine, then. Thing is, _I _had dinner with Akane last night."

He smiled. My heart sank.

"You did?"

**And yet another plot twist! Sorry for the cliffhanger, folks, but I'm back and ready for action~! I'll update again much sooner.**

**I apologize for the long wait. While I was writing this chapter, I (pretty much) finished Assassin's Creed II, and there are very few distractions now. So on this story goes!**

**Review... p-please? -sad anime crying eyes- I-It's my life blood!**


	17. Chapter 17

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 17

by MintyAlfalfa

**I told you I was updating more often now! Enjoy, and please review (kindly after you have read through all the chapters. If you're so disgusted with this fic that you simply cannot read another word even though there's much more, then don't review. For future reference.)**

I really did not want to stay there in that spot. But Izaya was addressing me. So I said nothing and hoped he would go away.

"You, You thought-?" He laughed wildly. "You thought, that I - _I_ - wouldn't find you out sooner or later? Huh, miss Hinoko Hannanshi? You actually thought, that I wouldn't figure it all out? Just because you're from a town that's not on the local maps? Did you just underestimate me, or are you just - I don't know - _stupid_? Come on, really? I'll admit, it took me a while to figure it all out. You had such a sweet personality, too, almost like out of an anime or something? But how long did you expect me to believe it. 'Oh... Oh my! When did you find out, Izaya-kun?'" he mocked. "That sounds like something you would say, right? Well, I found you out a while ago. When I heard about this up-and-coming yakuza family that had just come to Ikebukuro to show off their might, the Hannanashi clan, that was when I found out they had a cute miko girl working for them, and she might be up to head the clan. I was just waiting for you to slip up, you know? I was wondering how long you could keep up your act."

"I-I..." I wanted to just tell him he was lying. That he made it all up to scare me. And cry and run away like Ritsu did. But where would I run? I was all out of money for subway tickets. I choked on every word I thought of, and Izaya laughed at me. I couldn't even cry. I just stood there, hating him. How could I fall in love with this guy? He was just smarter than me, and I was dumb enough to start believing myself when I pretended he wasn't.

"_Ritsu-chan_," he said, very slowly, as if he was speaking to a child. "I win."

He took me by the arms.

"S-Stop! Stop it!" Those were the only words of protest I could think of.

"Shhh. If I leave you, where are you gonna go? Home? Your family? _The_ family? What will they think of you when they learn you failed your cute little mission? Aren't I the only one you've got left?"

I didn't say a word. Silently, I let him walk me to his apartment. I thought of the dream I had while I was sick. It wasn't nearly as bad as this feeling I had.

...

PART TWO

...

"Go to sleep, Hinoko," he said coldly. Looking down at me no longer with a sick grin, he just looked cold and heartless. I had never seen him this way. He was never serious. It made me hate him even more, except now it was a mix of fear and hatred.

I said nothing and laid down on his couch. It felt cold and hard, now. This didn't make it any harder to fall asleep, but I slept uneasily, disturbed by dreams of Izaya murdering me right there.

I dreamt he had a knife, and I was sound asleep. There was an innocent smile on my face - like I was Ritsu. Then he stabbed me several times about the torso, blood splattering across his face. I couldn't really see the expression on his face, though. Then he kissed me and threw me out the window, my miko's hakama billowing in the wind. I fell with a thud, but I somehow lived, and then a giant insect started chasing me, and then I looked in a mirror and my teeth grew large, sharp and heavy and then they fell out. But it was the first part of the dream that really scared me.

The next morning, I got up with a start. Izaya was nowhere to be seen. I stupidly felt around my torso for stab wounds, but none were there, causing me to sigh in relief. Namie wasn't around, either. I checked the time. It was 10:00.

I didn't feel like getting up. Instead, I just thought about Izaya. Did he hate me? Did he even care about me? Or was he simply disgusted with me?

I didn't want him to hate me. I wanted him to love me. I wished that we could be together, and he wouldn't ever hurt me. But that sort of thing simply wasn't in his nature. I was hopelessly in love.

I got the feeling that he cared about me at least a little bit. He had spent so much time with me. He couldn't possibly have been so close to me for so long and not even think about me, right? And I was so in love with him. He must have noticed. I didn't even know exactly how many girls had fallen in love with him, but I was around him so often. I must have meant _something_ to him.

He shouldn't have been disgusted with me, either. I killed someone; I didn't know whether or not he had killed anyone, but he probably ruined at least a few people's lives, being an information broker. He wasn't guiltless. The only question was of his conscience. His conscience might have been clear, but his rap sheet wouldn't be. After all, my family didn't want me to go after him for nothing.

Once again able to think partially straight, I cried a little. I felt like the world was against me. What would happen? Where was Izaya? I wanted to see him, and make things right. I didn't want to run away from him, but I didn't know where he was. I figured he would come back here at some point, so I decided to hang around at the apartment.

But it was infinitely boring. I was getting hungry, and there wasn't anything to eat except for fish-flavored popsicles. I tried a book from his bookshelf, but they were all in Russian. I didn't really know how to work a computer. I saw a television, but I couldn't find the remote, and I tried to turn it on manually, but the signal was incorrect and I couldn't figure out how to change it. My tears dried up. Finally, I just slept on the couch again. It wasn't cold and hard and torii-gate-like anymore, though. I used one of Izaya's spare coats as a blanket (I slept without a blanket the past night, and I nearly froze to death) and curled up, trying to think of things to say to Izaya when I saw him again.

I only slept a few hours - until 3:30 - and he came back. As I heard the door unlocking, and jumped up to see if it was him or just Namie. It was Izaya.

I greeted him with a smile and hugged him. He seemed a little bit surprised. He patted my head.

"You're still here, huh?" He pushed me away and sat down on the couch, where I was sleeping. I noticed how dramatically his behavior changed, now that he wasn't trying to romance me.

"Yeah. I really wanted to talk to you," I said. He raised his eyebrows and once again grinned his evil grin. I rather missed it, and I was almost relieved that he still had it. I was afraid that he would always look at me with that hateful frown from last night on.

"What is it?" He didn't say anything fancy to me. I was astonished.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," I started. I really didn't know how true that was. If I had never lied to him, I would have never met him. I was only sorry that he found out.

"Really? Or are you just sorry that I found out?"

"You're right. I'm sorry. I lie to you again and again. I'm really... sorry..."

"Ri... Hinoko-chan, you act the same. Did you think it was real when I flirted with you? You were Ritsu-chan. Now, you're not." He spoke softly and gently, though he was still grinning. But I saw a hole in his words.

"Now _you're_ hiding the truth, Izaya-kun! You probably don't love me or even like me at all, but you really _were_ trying to make me fall in love with you! You're such a jerk. You try to get me to like you even though you don't have any feelings for me."

"But you're wrong, Hinoko-chan. Maybe I was lying at first, but I really like you. I like you, Hinoko-chan. I don't even know you. But I've never even felt like this before."

"R-Really?" He was probably lying again. The liar. Why should I have believed him?

"I like you, Hinoko-chan, I like you! I'm not lying... You like me, too, right?"

"I love you."

"Then... then..."

I kissed him. I kissed the liar who was always trying to hurt me, and make me slip up, and looked at me with that cold expression on his face. He was probably lying again, but I loved him, and he made it seem so much that he loved me, so I kissed him and I liked it. I loved it. I wanted to do this forever until the end of time. I loved him so much. I loved him, and he started to untie my hakama, and I let him do it. It took forever with all the knots, but he did it and soon we would be together in the best way.

"I have protection, alright? It's okay. It's okay..."

...

PART THREE

...

"Izaya?" I asked drowsily.

"What is it?"

"Was it your first time?"

"...I don't feel like telling you."

"Ngaah... How am I supposed to guess? Maybe it was your first time and you're just embarrassed because you're... well, I really don't know how old you are... or maybe it wasn't and you just don't want to hurt my feelings?"

"Then don't guess. You don't need to know."

"Yes, I do...!"

"No, you don't." He leaned over and hugged me.

"Let's just... go to sleep."

"I'm tired of sleeping! And I haven't had anything to eat all day! It's probably around 4:00 right now."

"I didn't get any sleep last night. I was negotiating an information deal."

"Bet you're lying."

"Of course. I always lie."

"You liar."

"You're right, sometimes I tell the truth. I love you."

"I don't know if that's true or if it's a lie."

"And that's why you love me, too. We're so great together."

"No, we're not. That's a total lie."

"Yeah, it's a lie. But I still love you."

"..."

"Let's go and have Russia Sushi. How does that sound?"

"Pretty terrible, actually."

"Well, let's go there anyway. Come on... Hinoko-chan..." He smiled. It was different from his normal smile, but then again, it wasn't different at all. I got up. To be honest, the couch was pretty comfortable. I was just so hungry.

"I wonder if Simon will be able to tell if we're really together now."

"..._Are_ we really together?"

"Of course! You know, Simon gave me a pretty hard time the first time we went there. He said I was in dangerous territory. He thought I was using you for something poor-intentioned. Haha, he wasn't wrong."

"Kiss me."

"Okay," he responded. He kissed me passionately again.

"Hey, but I don't want to have sex this time!"

"I know. Doesn't mean I can't kiss you. We're all alone."

Another tenant abruptly came out of his apartment, wearing a suit and holding a briefcase, looking very serious. He was probably a lawyer or something. He caught sight of us.

"Damn kids," he muttered.

"Hey, wh-what the hell do you think you're doing! I don't even know you? H-Help me! Please!"

The lawyer-looking man's eyes widened, and he flipped out a cell phone, presumably to call the police.

"Hinoko-chan, quit that!" Izaya's face reddened.

"...Sorry. It was too tempting."

"Damn it, Hinoko-chan!"

"Damn kids," the lawyer guy muttered once again. I laughed out loud. Though he had rounded the corner and was out of earshot, I imagined that he once again muttered something along the lines of, "Damn kids," once again.

"Hinoko-chan, what if I was arrested?" Izaya pretended to be worried.

"Oh, then you'd just get what was coming to you!"

We laughed together. I felt like I was in heaven.

**Haha, happy ending! But there's still quite a bit more... stay tuned!**

**Remember that chapter where Hinoko somehow had magic healing powers? Well, trust me, that's not going to go by itself. Please review! I eat reviews for breakfast! And if I don't get any reviews, all I have to eat for breakfast is Raisin Bran (which is actually pretty tasty but I prefer reviews~!)**


	18. Chapter 18

~AWAY FROM HOME~

CHAPTER 18

by MintyAlfalfa

**Hiii everybodyyyy! I know it seems I suddenly broke my promise despite seeming to stick to it for a couple chapters, but my computer had a scary scary virus; I've been just dying to write. Enjoy! (apparently the last chapter was kind of controversial? Well, plot twists happen sooner or later.)**

That night, the Russia Sushi was overcrowded with people rushing to see Yuuhei Hanejima. Izaya wanted to turn back at first and I was getting ready to agree with him, but then this exchange occurred:

"Actually, I think we should wait it out. Hehe... can you try and guess why, Hinoko-chan?"

"Well... You could just be screwing with me because I'm so hungry."

"Haha, close! Very close!"

"You're screwing with me for some other reason?"

"Well, my only reason is to have fun, but I am screwing you in a different _way_."

"Really, does that have any difference from what I just said?"

"All the difference in the world, Hinoko-chan! All the difference in the world."

"Fine, whatever. But can we stop screwing around and go somewhere else? I don't care that much about Yuuhei Hanejima."

"But you should! He's the brother of your good friend Shizuo!"

"How do you know... nevermind. The same way as everything else, I imagine. But just because Shizuo's my friend doesn't mean I'm going to starve myself to see his little brother."

"But you also get a plate of sushi."

"Bad sushi. I'm actually not sure if I like sushi at all, anyway."

"But don't you come here often?"

"It's cheap. And people go here a lot. Like Akane and Taro-san."

"Who's Taro-san?"

"As if you don't know."

"No, I really don't." Izaya laughed. "Tell me, I want to know. Who is he?"

"I... don't even know. That probably isn't even his real name."

"How interesting. It always amazes me how ordinary people don't even know the people they interact with every day. Not that you're anything ordinary, Hinoko-chan."

"Is that a compliment...?"

"It's merely a comment. I like... being mysterious, Hinoko-chan. I like to make you think and worry and try to guess things about me. But, of course, you already know that."

"Of course. You think you're such an enigma, but as you just said, you only pretend to be because you get a kick out of it."

"Who says I pretend to be? Who says I can't _really_ be an enigma and still get a kick out of it?" His tiny smirk had transformed into a maniacal grin. He was almost leaning over me. It was a rather comical sight.

"Let's stop being philosophical. Why don't we talk about something light-hearted?"

"Oh, fine. Boring, boring Ritsu-chan."

I raised my eyebrows. A Freudian slip?

"You mean Hinoko-chan?"

"Same _difference_, really." He walked ahead with the advancing line, so I couldn't see his face, but I could tell he was on the verge of maniacal laughter. Maybe he purposefully called me "Ritsu-chan" just so he could say that. That seemed the most likely reason. But what did he mean? Did he really think I was the same as Ritsu? Just as innocent, as ignorant? Was that really how he thought of me? While he was sleeping with me? Every time he kissed me? When he looked into my eyes and told me he had feelings for me? I was going to break down and cry, but then he would have won. Hell, he already _had_ won, but I wasn't going to make him feel good by showing him how much he suffered.

Or perhaps, if he really did like me, I should have broken down and cried and showed him that he made me suffer. Would he feel the same pleasure? Or would he actually take pity on me? Well, either way, it was far too much of a risk to take.

I could still hardly hold the tears back, though. He scared me all the time. He was so cruel to me. But if I really loved him, I would sit down and take it, right? I had to prove to him that it didn't matter what he said, I would never give up on love. There was no way to tell if he was worth it, but my heart got so excited at the mere thought of him that I was compelled to try it anyway.

"Izaya-kun, you don't have to hurt my feelings just so I'll think about you."

"Oh, Hinoko-chan, that's not why I do that at all! And it's only an insult if you take it to be insulting, you know."

"It's an insult if you meant to insult me."

"I only meant to if you took it to be insulting... come on, the line's moving up."

"Alright."

I was so hungry. We must have been there for hours. It was daylight when we finally saw Kasuka in the restaurant, and that turned out to be rather disappointing.

"Is most realistic poster you ever seen, da? Life size, too! Mr. Hanejima stay to model for couple of minutes, then artist make his magic. But yes, Mr. Hanejima have leave several hours ago. Sorry if disappoint!"

...

PART TWO

...

Eventually, Izaya had to get us something to eat. I felt like I was going to pass out from starvation. I think I dropped several pounds starving for so long. After getting some dinner, we returned to his apartment. Namie was working overtime, or something, so she was staying at the apartment and would be for a few hours.

"Izaya-kun, what are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... I can't just stay here forever and hide from my family...!"

"Sure, you can. Don't you know what they'll do if they find out you're with me? Haven't they given me some kind of death sentence? I don't think it's a good idea to do anything about this unless you really feel like getting a finger chopped off. Or, maybe being shot."

"They'll find me eventually! I heard they're gaining more and more influence in Ikebukuro. I remember from one of their meetings that they're going to actively attack one of the Awakusu clan's bases! Oh my god, they're going to hunt me down if I don't turn myself in. Maybe if I go back and explain everything myself, I'll get a lighter punishment! Izaya-kun..."

I turned and looked at him.

"I'll hide you. We'll stall time. We'll figure something out. It's okay."

"You two make me sick."

"Jealous, are we, Namie-chan? That doll's looking really cute. Oh, it's your brother? I guess _that's_ not happening, then."

"You... shut up! Ritsu-san, tell your boyfriend how much of a jerk he is. I can't, because he's my goddamned employer! Fuck! Fuck it all!"

"Namie-san... you can call me Hinoko now."

"Hinoko...? Forget it, I don't want to know. Hinoko-san, then. Tell your boyfriend he's a dick."

"You're a dick, Izaya-kun."

"Whatever you say, Hinoko-chan. Whatever you say." He looked into my eyes, suddenly with a sincere-looking smile. "You're just an angel, Hinoko-chan. An angel."

"Wh-Wha-"

"Shh. Kiss me."

I really didn't have much of a choice.

"I'm leaving," Namie said resignedly. It was scary how much my views of Izaya changed. Sometimes I wondered, though, how I went from hating him to being fascinated by him to falling in love with him completely, and whether or not his feelings toward me had really changed. Or what his feelings were at all. One felt that, being around him, he was constantly hiding the truth, obsessively locking it away so he was in control, and you know nothing, so you are left with no choice but to accept lies. But was he lying? Or was I just paranoid? He couldn't be making me paranoid without knowing it, could he? Otherwise, he wouldn't always have that smile on his face. Would he?

So his lies were his ways of controlling me and making me closer to him. But what would he do now that I was close to him? If he didn't really love me, what point would there be? To control the yakuza through me? But he knew himself that I had done something dishonorable by falling in love with him and sleeping with him, since he was pretty much their #1 enemy. His intentions were so unclear. Namie had implied that this sort of thing happened often, where he would take a girl in and make her fall for him. But then what? What was he going to do, now that he had me? To be honest, I would do almost anything for him at that point.

"Izaya-kun, what are we going to do?"

"I said, we're going to figure things out. Didn't you hear me? It'll all be okay."

"No, I mean... what are _you_ going to do?"

"What are you talking about?"

"We're together now... what are you going to do?"

"As in, our relationship? Well... stay together. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No." Well, it was a lie, that was one thing wrong.

"Okay. So, kiss me."

I kissed him. It was so sweet. I started to forget about everything. My questions seemed so distant and irrelevant now. I almost fought it. Part of me wanted to remember everything that was wrong. But what reason was there to remember? There was none I could think of at the time. I assured myself that I could start worrying again, later. I was satisfied with that much.

...

PART THREE

...

"What's wrong?"

"..." The young woman sighed into the night air.

"What?" Her partner, his features barely visible in the shadows of the nighttime city, demanded to know what was on her mind.

"I don't know if this is such a good idea. It's such a big town. How are we gonna find her? We don't even know where we are! Where are we gonna sleep tonight?"

"Sis, if we can just find a motel or something, we can try and look it up on the Internet."

"Like you know how to use the Internet."

"I can figure it out! Jouma-san from the tavern told me about it. He has a computer."

"Did he let you _use_ his computer?"

"...No."

"So I don't think you're going to get very far."

The man refused to give up. With resolve, he declared, "Well, I don't know what the hell we're going to do, so let's just... I don't know, find a motel and stay there until we think of something!"

"Sounds fine to me."

"I really... I want to find her, sis. Hinoko's your sis, too. Minami, you have to stay with me on this."

"...Alright."

The two didn't have to walk far to find a motel. They had at least made it to downtown Ikebukuro all the way from Kanmai, and they were in search of their sister. Warren didn't want to make any contact with the yakuza, though, nor did he want his sister to know they were even involved in such things, making it even harder for them, especially because the Hannanashi family was gaining influence in the area. As far as his youngest sister was concerned, though, her name was Minami Hanyu, and any rumors about her family actually being yakuza were things the older kids told her to scare her when she was a little kid.

**Oh God, that took a _very_ long time to write. I keep procrastinating, even though I have so many ideas for the story. Concerning that, there may be many, many plot twists coming soon. Be warned! Please review! Seeing as I haven't written much recently, I've been starving for some!**


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